


Chelsea, Chelsea, I Believe

by BasedWaifuBrettFavre



Category: Hockey RPF, Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magika | Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Clutch Saves, Dirty Dangles, Don't Drink and Write, F/F, Implied Dunc/Seabs, Magical Girl goalies, i am so so sorry, rarepairs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-24
Updated: 2016-04-24
Packaged: 2018-06-04 07:55:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 35,288
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6648895
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BasedWaifuBrettFavre/pseuds/BasedWaifuBrettFavre
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jonathan Toews fails to win first star of a random, meaningless late season home game, losing a bet he made with Patrick Kane, what follows is a forced blind date at a crappy karaoke bar in Northbrook. What follows after that is only a little strange.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. You Must Be a Woman with Shoes Like That

**Author's Note:**

> I cannot apologize enough. The Blackhawks, if I had to guess are as they are during the 2015-16 season.

“And your second star of the night…”

Gene Honda’s voice fills the United Center while cheering fans await the announcement.

“Please not me, please not me, please not me, please God not me.” Jonathan Toews rocks back and forth, desperately not wanting to lose his bet with Patrick Kane.

“You know whoever they don’t call is first star, right Tazer?” Patrick Kane, devilish as always, flashes Toews a grin.

“JONATHAN TOEWS”

“Fuck.”

Patrick Kane smiles a smile that threatens to tear his face in half. “Blind date, bud.”

“What?”

“I’ll fill you in later, Tazer. Go bask in some… uh…”

“Adoration?”

“Yeah. That.”

Back in the Blackhawks locker room, where the team is getting changed, Joel Quenneville finishes his post game speech and leaves. “Hey, Kaner,” he stops Patrick Kane, “I think this will be good for Jon.”

“Okay, coach.”

Kane walks over to Toews, “Okay, bud, so, we’re gonna drive you to this karaoke bar over in Northbrook-”

“Northbrook? Kaner, I live in the city.”

“Relax. We’re gonna drive you to this karaoke bar, and this chick, brah, she’s just your type. She’s all serious and grim and shit.”

“YEAH, TAZER!” Duncan Keith immediately hangs off of the captain in mock excitement.

“Whatever, Kaner, let’s go.”

Toews and Kane walk to a waiting car with a hired driver. Toews never had a problem driving himself, of course, but Patrick Kane was, in his own words, too rich, too good looking and too drunk to drive himself anywhere.

A few awkward teenage girls wearing Blackhawks gear see Toews and Kane get into the car together and immediately start formulating slashfiction in their heads.

“Okay, bud, we’re here. Now go meet your future wife.”

“Shut up, Kaner.” Toews slams the door for emphasis.

It was a karaoke bar, an ugly, modern building that obviously was meant to attract the kind of teenage drug addicts that infest the north suburbs. Toews walks up to the door, flanked by a bunch of massive windows and walks over to the counter. “Toews, party of two?” 

“We had a ‘toes’ party of two.” 

Toews sighs deeply, “Yeah, that’s me.”

Toews is led to a booth where a pale, black haired girl is waiting, her stare trying to penetrate him.

“Don’t try to mean mug me, eh.”

“You are the man who I am supposed to meet here?”

“Uh, yeah, I’m Jonathan Toews.”

“My name is Homura Akemi.”

“That’s… That’s a stupid name.”

“I was just about to say the same about yours.”

Toews sits down. “So, let’s get down to it. I really don’t want to be here, but this isn’t about me. Why are you here?”

“I’m scouting this location out for someone. She is in danger and she needs to be away from our hometown.”

“Sounds dire. Serious doesn’t really suit you, by the way, I can tell you’re not serious.”

Homura’s gaze tightens. “And how would you know that?”

“Because I was born serious, born intense, you’re simply putting it on. It’s an outfit to you. I don’t like that.”

Homura’s eyes light up. “I bet you’re not that serious. You probably couldn’t even sing karaoke seriously.”

Homura activates the karaoke machine and begins to sing, the song is melancholy, her smoky alto fills the room, she’d obviously practiced, Toews rolls his eyes and remembers his days at Shattuck St. Mary’s, when his teammates were mired in their awkward emo phases.

“You done?” Toews is smiling inwardly, however the only tell his body gives is a raise of the eyebrows. For all Homura knew, his forehead just itched.

Toews stands and looks out to the extremely disinterested hostess “HEY! You guys got O Canada?”

The hostess sighs and looks at Toews, “For some reason we do.” She goes back to her magazine.

Toews begins to sing, a smooth tenor as he hangs perfectly on every word. He starts tearing up at “True North strong and free” yet continues, voice refusing to waver.

Toews wipes his eyes, now completely dry, “You don’t know serious.”

Homura rises, her cool facade shattered, now furious. “You couldn’t last a day in my world.”

Toews, cool as ever, looks down at Homura, “You couldn’t last a day in mine.”

“Fine, I’ll make arrangements. You are now a student at Mitakihara middle school.”

“Middle school?”

Toews takes out his phone. “Please excuse me for a moment.” He calls the top number on his contact list

“KANER! What the fuck?”

“What?”

“My blind date.”

“Oh, whatever.”

“Well, I’m going to Japan now. Tell coach to figure out a lineup without me.”

“Wow, that was quick, Tazer, guess I don’t gotta wait here anymore.”

“No, you do, I have someone I need you to pick up.”

Homura walks up, paper in hand. “This is your plane ticket, Mr. Toews.”

“Your ride is waiting right outside, it’s the black car that smells like beer.”


	2. She Said You Know Me Well

The car was nice, nice enough anyway. It was obvious that its owner was rich. Homura Akemi had no time for fancy cars but had to play along. This city would be perfect. _The things I do for you, Madoka_. “Yo, you Tazer’s date?”

 

Homura jumps slightly and turns toward the car, a young man with curly, greasy hair and a devilish grin is hanging out the rear passenger window. “I was here with a Jonathan Toews.”

 

“Awesome, get in!” The man starts waving, signaling that Homura get in the car. She walks slowly, deliberately, but doesn’t break stride. _This guy’s a creep. Maybe this place isn’t safe._

 

“So, let me just start by saying that you’re hot. And second, I’m Patrick Kane, good ay.”

 

“Good ay?”

 

“Yeah, I’ll give you the d later.”

 

“That won’t be necessary.”

 

Kane looks down then away to the left, then he sighs, “It’s like you never left, Tazer.” Kane turns back to his guest. “So, what’s your name if you don’t mind me asking?”

 

“Homura Akemi.”

 

Kane laughs, his face turns red and he doubles over, “That’s such a stupid name. Fuck, you gotta meet the boys.” Kane bangs on the window separating the back seat from the driver, “YO! Driver! Take us to meet the boys!”

 

_The things I do for you, Madoka._

 

“Hey, bud, you wanna quit staring off into space? It’s creeping me out.”

 

“I am sorry, Mr. Kane.”

 

 

 

Jonathan Toews hated planes, hated flying, hated stewardesses and their painted on smiles, hated peanuts and hated the crappy movies that the airline bought the rights to on the cheap. His face had frozen to an even more intense version of his permanent scowl. He continued to reread War and Peace as the plane landed in Mitakihara City, the early Japanese morning smelling of… ham? Why did it smell like ham? Toews stood up. _Why the fuck did I fly coach?_ His legs hurt, his head hurt, his body ached, he was not feeling well. _Time to go to this… Mitakihara Middle School._

 

Toews got off, grabbed his go bag and went to the baggage claim for his hockey bag. His hockey bag made him feel safe, made him feel like this was familiar. Jonathan Toews’s hockey bag was going to keep him protected from this strange place and its ham aroma. He went outside and began to run, using the instructions that he had printed before he left for Midway. _Another thing, why did she fly into and out of Midway? Midway sucks._ Toews put in his earbuds and ran.

 

Running felt good, always did, always would. Toews ran faster as he got closer to his destination, being spurred on by his workout playlist. The run was 20 kilometers of hell as the humid spring enveloped him in a hot, wet wall. This wasn’t humidity like it was in Chicago and it certainly wasn’t the cold, dry spring of Manitoba, this was an onslaught. This was more than a workout, this was punishment for abandoning the Blackhawks when they needed him the most, while they were pushing for the playoffs. No matter, all they needed to do was win once more and they punched their ticket.

 

He walked up the stairs to the classroom where a teacher, if he had to guess, was having a mental breakdown about… eggs? Seriously? Eggs? 

 

“Anyway, we have a new transfer student from exotic Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. His Japanese might not be the best, so maybe we can help him along.”

 

“Guess that’s my signal.” Toews confidently strode into the room, trying to ignore the fact that he was sweating in what barely amounted to clothes, a tank top and short shorts.

 

“Please… Introduce… Yourself…” The teacher couldn’t hold her blush at bay, she was enamored with the form before her.

 

“I am Jonathan Toews. It’s…” Toews paused to find the right word as these people were staring at him, “… an experience to meet you all, I’m sure.”

 

He walked toward the empty desk in the front of the room and sat down, loudly setting down his hockey bag, and pulled out his stick tape in order to absentmindedly play with it.

 

The students swarmed him.

 

“What’s Canada like?”

 

“Is it a tough adjustment?”

 

Toews felt a strong push coming upward from his stomach. His body was loudly protesting the grind of a long run after a long plane ride and wanted him to know it was displeased. He threw up.

 

“Ah, fuckin’ run.” He fired a snot rocket. “Fuckin’ town.” He fired another, clearing his nose completely. “Fuckin’ humidity.”

 

“That’s not good,” the teacher looked up from her desk, she finally stopped pretending to grade papers to look at the large transfer student, “Miss Kaname, could you take our new friend to the infirmary?”

 

Toews heard a remark from behind him breaking the loud din of voices “Wow, Madoka, you are for reals so lucky right now.” _Who actually says ‘for reals’ around here? I miss Shawzy._  

 

A short girl in pink pigtails appeared in front of him, smiling ear to ear earnestly, eyes closed “Good to meet you, my name is Madoka Kaname and I’m the nurse’s assistant in this class.”

 

“I’m still Jonathan Toews.” _She’s aggressively cute._ Toews looked back down at his stick tape, continuing to turn it over and over in his hands.

 

“Shall I take you to the infirmary?” The girl was still smiling ear to ear, she leaned forward slightly.

 

“Yeah, Eh, let’s go.” Toews stood up, he towered over everyone, especially the diminutive Madoka. “Let’s get this over with.”

 

The two walk down the hall and take a left, Madoka suddenly stops. “So, I don’t know if you get this often, but you’re really cute.”

 

“Uh, yeah, I guess you could say I get it often.” Toews shudders at the memories of awkward Northwestern coeds swarming he and Patrick Sharp. “I guess you are, too. Aggressively so. It’s…” Toews stares up at the ceiling, searching for the diplomatic response, “…it’s something.”

 

Madoka’s cheeks match the deep red of her ribbons. “I’m not used to people saying that. I’m a pretty ordinary girl.”

 

_Most ordinary girls don’t have pink hair._

 

“Yeah, that’s great. Now where’s that office?”

 

“I’m not really good at anything, and I don’t really stand out.”

 

Toews looks both ways and starts shifting his weight from one leg to the other,

 

“But you said I was cute. Are…” She blushes deeply and looks down, “…are…” she tears up slightly “… are we dating now?”

 

Toews feels a shiver up his spine, _yeah, cool, this is great, awesome, wonderful, fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. How do I let her down easy?_ “So, how about that nurse’s office? I feel like I’m gonna hurl again.”

 

“Oh, okay, it’s right here.” Madoka, on shaky legs, leads Toews to the infirmary.

 

“Cool. You wanna leave me? It’s gonna get nasty.”

 

“Okay!” Madoka leaves the room. Toews is pretty sure that, from her footsteps, she’s skipping. He tries to compose himself. _Okay, that could’ve gotten really, really ugly. Gotta… I’m gonna hurl._ Toews vomits again and makes sure to clear his nose.

 

Toews leaves the infirmary, slowly and deliberately walking to class as if he were balancing on a one man bridge several hundred feet above the ground. He comes across the door and walks in., peeking around the door. He once again takes his seat and plays with his tape.

 

“What’s the tape for?”

 

“Huh?” Toews looks up and sees a girl with short, at least short for a girl, blue hair standing in front of his desk. _What’s with all the weird hair?_

 

“The tape. What’s it for?”

 

“My hockey stick.”

 

The girl moves forward, leaning against the desk. “You got a stick, huh? Where?”

 

Toews removes the stick from his hockey bag, opening it up wide in hopes that the smell will scare this strange girl away. “Here.”

 

The girl looks at the stick as if it held the secrets to the Universe, as if the meaning of her life would become apparent if she just looked at it long enough, she looked at Toews’s magnificent hockey stick. “Show me what you do.”

 

“Okay, just so you know,” Toews stops as he readies the tape, “This is a waste of perfectly good tape.” Toews takes the white tape and wraps it around his stick over and over again until the blade is covered. He bites the tape off at the edge. The girl hums slightly, or at least, Toews thought he heard her hum. “Now we gotta get the other end.” Toews wraps the tape around the shaft and taps it against the floor for emphasis. “And there we go, one taped up hockey stick.” Toews looks over and sees the girl blushing, possibly drooling slightly, he can’t really tell. “You okay?”

 

“Y-yeah. I’m good.” The girl stands back up, shifting her weight away from the desk. “I-“ She adjusts her skirt and clears her throat “My name is Sayaka Miki, my friend walked you over to the infirmary earlier.”

 

“Okay. That’s vital information, I’m sure.” Toews keeps from rolling his eyes by focusing them straight ahead at the blank blackboard.

 

Sayaka seemed undeterred “Um, you’re new here, right? So, if you want, we can show you around.”

 

Toews, against his better judgment, accepted. “Sure. What can possibly go wrong.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why would Tazer not have his hockey bag?
> 
> I'm pretty sure I wrote Madoka too innocent. Please do not burn my house down.


	3. I seen you and little Steven and Joanna around the back of my hotel

“These are the boys. Yo, boys, get a load of this chick’s name.” Kane elbows Homura in the ribs. “Go on, introduce yours-“ Homura, without missing a beat, grabs Kane by the arm, steps out in front of him, puts the arm over her shoulder, flips Kane over and ends up on top of him, hands on his throat and genitals. “Don’t touch me.” Her voice is even, as it has always been.

 

The shortest and skinniest of the men steps up and places a hand on Homura’s shoulder. “I know you’re not hitting my teammate. Kaner’s just trying to be nice and that’s what you do?” He tightens his grip, lifting Homura. “I don’t care who you are, you don’t get to do that to Kaner. It’s not right. You wanna go?”

 

Homura gets up, calm and collected as always. “That won’t be necessary. I just don’t like being touched and your friend was touching me.” She turns around and takes the man’s hand off her shoulder. “Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Homura Akemi.”

 

The man smiles slightly, “I like that name, my name is Andrew Shaw.” The boys get up. “That’s Marian Hossa” he points to a serene, picturesque man with dirty blond hair, Hossa winks “That’s Duncan Keith” he points to the man next to Hossa, with long wavy brown hair and a toothless smile “HOW’S IT GOIN’, EH?” “and that’s Dunc’s life partner, Brent Seabrook,” a man with resting bitch face frowns harder, “Shut the fuck up, Shawzy.” “And of course, the man of the hour,” Shaw continues, undeterred, “that there is Corey Crawford, my favorite goalie who wears the number 50.” A man with wild hair and a five o’clock shadow stands up. “I’m the only goalie who wears the number 50.” Crawford walks over to Homura “Let’s talk in private.”

 

“Fuckin’ get it, Crow!”

 

“You got this, goalie!”

 

“Fuckin’ right, Corey!”

 

Homura and Crawford walk outside the bar, ignoring the peanut gallery.

 

“You’re a magical girl. I can tell. That ring on your finger, it’s your soul gem, it’s the same as mine.”

 

“Yours?” Homura stepped back, who was this man with the crazy eyes and the beard?

 

“Yeah,” Crawford takes a large egg-shaped red gem out of his pocket, “mine. Well, I suppose I’m a magical man, but we share the same fate.”

 

“You… How?”

 

“I made a wish just like you did. What? You thought there were no witches in Chicago? It’s a massive city full of Cubs fans, there’s misery for the taking here.”

 

Homura couldn’t fathom the existence of the magical man before her, this had to be a dream, a joke maybe. This couldn’t be real. There needed to be a way to get away from the Incubator, it couldn’t be here. “Incubator. You know of the incubator, then. He’s here?”

 

“Fuck no. I hate cats. I kicked that thing after it granted my wish and that was the last I saw of it.”

 

Homura whispered as if she were giving out some forbidden knowledge, in a way she was. “Do you know how witches come to be?”

 

“Uh, yeah, dead magical girls. I kinda figured that out right away because I’m not stupid.”

 

“Who are you?”

 

Crawford laughed. “Just a goalie from Montreal. Don’t worry, your friend will be safe here.”

 

“My… How do you know that?”

 

“About Madoka? I can read minds, that was my wish.”

 

Homura steps backwards, feeling like she was going to fall. “Why?”

 

Crawford smiles “So I could know if puck bunnies were into me or not.”

 

 

 

Jonathan Toews still didn’t feel comfortable in this ridiculous town as he walked with his new… Friends? He didn’t really have the words for these girls who obviously had a crush on him leading him around town. 

 

“This is the mall.” Sayaka smiles wide, it’s as if she’s trying to touch both of her ears with her mouth alone. 

 

“Obviously, the sign reads mall. Anything interesting here?”

 

“Yeah, there’s a great music shop inside. Not only that, there’s an awesome food court.” Madoka moves closer to Toews. Toews would move away, but he remembered that there’s another amorous girl on his right.

 

“Okay, show me around.” Toews finally surrenders.

 

From inside, Toews has his eye immediately caught by an ice rink. “There’s an ice rink? I’ll be right back.” Toews runs toward the ice rink, the, to his dismay, unfinished ice rink.

 

He finds himself in what looks like a meadow, walking up to what looked like dandelions with mustaches, carrying scissors. “The fuck do you want, eh?” He slashes one with his stick, killing it. “You wanna go?” He cross checks another, it dies. The creatures back up. “That’s what I thought.” Toews continues walking. Suddenly, a blonde girl with extremely long pigtails wearing what looks like a yellow and white musketeer’s uniform complete with short skirt and knee socks drops from the sky, firing muskets.

 

“Your arsenal is a bit antiquated there, eh?” Toews looks down at the well endowed and serene girl.

 

“What are you doing here? This is a dangerous place unfit for humans.” The girl fires a musket, killing another one of the dandelion creatures.

 

“You’re, what, fifteen at most? I think I’m better equipped than you.” Toews brandishes his stick and slashes another creature. “What are these, anyway?”

 

“They’re called familiars. They’re dangerous.”

 

“Yeah, whatever,” Toews steps forward, “how do I make them stop?”

 

“You will have to kill what is called a witch. It’s probably further forward.”

 

Toews grabs a pair of roller blades out of his bag. “Say no more. I got this.”

 

Jonathan Toews puts in his earbuds, he plays a specific song “Bet I can do it in three and a half minutes,”  Leave it on the Ice by 3 Inches of Blood fills his ears as he starts to nod his head in time with the beat. Toews starts skating, leveling his shoulder into one familiar. He then cuts to his right and slashes with his stick as if it were a scythe, it decapitates the familiar. He cuts left hard and spins to avoid an attack from another familiar and shoulders it down. Toews skates hard, long but choppy strides and starts slashing his stick wildly at familiars, they drop. It starts to look as if Toews is mowing a weedy lawn. _the challenge made, leave it on the ice, defend your team, leave it on the ice_ Toews happens upon the witch, a hideous plantlike creature with barbed vines flailing. Toews starts skating again, full speed _throw down the gloves, look him in the eye, your fists are primed to hit their mark_ Toews drops his stick and raises his fists, following the song’s commands. _Swinging hard and fast, striking true, the crimson flies_ Toews’s fists fly wildly, covering themselves with a viscous purple liquid as he peppers the creature with punches, it mixes with his blood as he continues to punch, the witch howling in pain, wavering and collapsing, eventually disappearing, only leaving a black object, round with pins sticking out at both ends where the creature used to be. _His teeth knocked out, leave it on the ice, your opponent’s down, leave it on the ice._ Toews picks up his stick first, then he starts stick handling the object casually, entertaining himself.

 

“That is a grief seed. It’s of no use to you.” The girl walks up to the seed. 

 

“Okay, here you are, then.” Toews flips the seed up to the girl with his stick. She blushes at the gesture. “What’s your name anyway, musketeer?”

 

“My name is Mami Tomoe. Yours?” She smiles.

 

“Jonathan Toews.” Toews goes to put his stick back into his hockey bag when a piece of paper falls out. He picks it up.

 

**Don’t let Madoka Kaname contract for any reason.**

 

Toews ponders the meaning of the message, wonders how it got into his bag and shrugs.


	4. I said tell me your name is it sweet? She said, my boy, it’s Dagger

“So it’s settled, then, you’ll stay with me. You can’t stay with Kaner, Hoss has a family, Dunc and Seabs don’t wanna be interrupted,” Andrew Shaw smiles, “Stop butting in, Shawzy.” Brent Seabrook makes a fist at his waist and starts shaking. “Okay, okay, and Crow is French Canadian and shouldn’t be trusted around anyone.”

 

“Really funny, Shawzy.”

 

Shaw and Homura walk out to a waiting taxi which takes them to an apartment complex. They get out. “Elevator’s broken, kid, we’re taking the stairs.” They walk up the narrow staircase to the twelfth floor over to apartment 12-I and walk inside. “Okay, so there’s beer and Chinese takeout in the fridge, water on tap. You want a beer? Replace it. I like Molson.” Shaw walks up to a cupboard to the right of the fridge, “Cups are in here.” 

 

“Mr. Shaw, do you have soda?” Homura looks down _Stupid, stupid. He’s being nice._

 

“Uh, no. You want some? I’ll go to the convenience store across the street. Be right back.” With that Shaw runs out the door, Homura can hear him running down the stairs. She stands in the middle of the apartment, patiently waiting for her host to return. She’s careful not to touch anything. This place seems… unclean. Not long from when he left, Homura can hear a pounding of footsteps up the stairs and toward the door. “Aw, shit, I forgot to lock the door. Uh, I got a six pack of Coke. That gonna be okay?” Shaw sets the six pack in the fridge. Homura can see what she guesses is at lest thirty bottles of beer inside. “Uh, might wanna wait before you open those, they’re probably shook up pretty good. Anyway, bedroom’s down the hall, bathroom’s just short on the right, there’s no girly soap in the shower, sorry about that.” Shaw leads Homura to the bedroom, down a hallway flanked on both sides by posters of women in various states of undress, the most dressed of which are wearing skimpy bikinis. Shaw reaches to the right and switches on a light. “That’s the bathroom. Sorry it ain’t clean.” Shaw continues down the hall, Homura following close behind. “This is the bedroom. I actually cleaned it yesterday, so it should be good. I’m gonna let you use this. There’s a PlayStation hooked up to the TV, you can play it if you want. I don’t really mind. Uh, beyond that, the TV in the main area has satellite and get me if you need anything. Good night.” Shaw walks outside, closing the door behind him.

 

Homura looks around the room, unable to sleep. She sees a flag that reads IRONWORKERS LOCAL 721, BELLEVILLE ONT. just across from her on the front wall. To her left is a window looking out onto the adjacent building. Behind her is a jersey casing containing a blue jersey that reads SUNDIN 13 with a signature on the uniform’s 3. To her right is an extremely stinky duffle bag and a poster of a man with a mustache and mullet wearing an all blue uniform with a white leaf silhouette centered on the front that reads TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS. Vertical writing on the left side identifies the man as WENDEL CLARK in large block capitals. She falls asleep staring at the poster.

 

Shaw is splayed out on the couch watching The Searchers for what he’s pretty sure is the fiftieth time, about ready to fall asleep. From where he’s lying half the screen is blocked by a stack of pizza boxes. He takes another drag of Molson. “MADOKA! HE’S TRYING TO DECEIVE YOU! DON’T LISTEN! NO! MADOKAAAAAAAA!” Shaw spits out the watery beer, dropping the bottle on the floor. “Fuck.” Shaw runs through the apartment to the bedroom, the screams emanating from there. He bangs on the door. “You okay in there?” “MADOKA! MADOKA! MADOKA!” Shaw opens the door seeing the girl in his room thrashing violently in her sleep. Her black hair is a mess of tendrils covering her face, she screams again, the hair going into her mouth. Shaw sprints to the bed, shaking her. “Hey, HEY! Wake up. You’re okay. It’s gonna be okay.” Homura’s eyelids flicker open, the purple eyes inside darting left to right. “I… Madoka.”

 

“You were having a nightmare, weren’t ya? Well, it can’t hurt ya anymore.” Shaw smiles. “You know what used to help me when I had nightmares? I’d think of something happy that had happened before. Then I’d fall asleep and dream about that.”

 

Homura clutches the comforter. “I don’t really have any happy memories.”

 

Shaw frowns deep in thought then smiles again, “Okay, so think about something you want to happen, then you’ll dream about that.” Shaw starts toward the door. “Hey, don’t freak out, I’ll be right back.” Shaw returns with an aluminum folding chair, he unfolds it and sits down, he brandishes a hockey stick as if it were a spear. “Okay, any nightmares you wanna have are gonna have to go through me, so go to sleep.” Homura’s eyes close, the world around her being bathed in black. 

 

Her eyes open, Andrew Shaw sitting at the foot of the bed, clutching the hockey stick, exhausted. He obviously stood guard all night. “You sleep better this time, kid?”

 

Homura sits up. “Yes, I guess I did.”

 

“Great.”

 

 

 

Shaw takes Homura to a simple clothing store. “You can’t exactly wear the same thing every day, kid. Let’s get ya a few outfits.”

 

An incredibly girly scene played out as the Blackhawks tough guy sat patiently, watching Homura carefully inspect the clothing options. She eventually settles on a pair of black dresses, a purple shirt, some jeans, and a blouse/skirt combination. Shaw buys the outfits and walks outside with her. “Okay, that was a bit awkward, yeah? But ya got some clothes now and can quit wearing my stuff.” Homura shifts uncomfortably in Shaw’s oversized t-shirt that reads BLACKHAWKS HOCKEY across the front. “I didn’t ask you to do this, Mr. Shaw.” He shoves her playfully, “I know that. I’m just messin’ with ya.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YOU'RE A THINLY VEILED PLOT TO GET OPPOSITION FANS TO LIKE ANDREW SHAW!


	5. I was good, she was hot, stealin’ everything she got, I was bold she was over the worst of it

“Are you hurt?” Madoka was transfixed on the hands of Jonathan Toews, covered in tiny bleeding cuts. “Your hands are…”

 

“I’m fine. They’re just cuts, it’s not like I’m gonna die.” Toews looks down, “Quit touching my hands.”

 

“But we’re dating now, we need to hold hands.” Madoka smiles an extremely innocent smile.

 

“Listen, there’s something I gotta tell ya. We’re not dating. You’re cute and you’re nice and…” He resists rolling his eyes, this really shouldn’t be happening. “… you’re gonna make someone really happy, but that someone isn’t me.”

 

Madoka’s eyes well up, her first taste of rejection. She clutches her chest, trying to keep her heart from spilling out.

 

“Ah, shit. C’mon, listen to me. I’m Canadian, from Canada, which is half a planet away, and I’m going to go back at some point. There’s absolutely someone for you, it’s just not me.”

 

Madoka is crying loudly now, deep, heaving sobs. “I… But I… Please, I’ll do anything.”

 

“Hey, if I let you hold my hand, will you quit crying?” Toews is stunned with his own suggestion. 

 

“Yes!” Madoka’s face lights up, cheeks still stained with tears.

 

The two walk to the music shop where Toews immediately digs into the rock section, looking for something familiar. The response to every CD is the same. “What the fuck is this?” He uses the sample machine to listen to some J-Rock as his hosts run around the store picking out CDs and giggling. The J-Rock is absolutely terrible. Toews feels like he’s going to be sick. “Where’s the Rush around here?”

 

Suddenly, his hand is grabbed, Jonathan Toews is being pulled to his left. “C’mon, you gotta listen to this.” He looks down to see Sayaka pulling on his arm “Don’t be shy, like, for reals, you gotta listen to this.” He surrenders.

 

“What’s this called?”

 

“ClariS, they’re really good. This song is called ‘Connect’”

 

Toews relaxes, ready to hear something good. His body locks up as the music starts, It’s not great. “This is…” He searches for the right words. The music swells and the first verse starts, he feels like he’s been shot. “This is awful. It’s probably one of the worst songs I’ve ever listened to.”

 

“Really? Well that sucks. I really like it.” Sayaka frowns and looks down. “By the way, do you have a place to stay?”

 

“Fuck. Uh, no I don’t.”

 

“Ooh, you should stay at Sayaka’s house. Her parents aren’t home often.” Madoka smiles, if this man couldn’t be hers, she could at least get the assist.

 

“I don’t really have a choice, do I?”

 

 

 

“Hey, can we stop here real quick, Mr. Toews?” The two are standing out in front of the hospital.

 

“Listen, my hands are fine, Miss Miki.”

 

“It’s not about your hands. I need to visit someone.”

 

Toews relents. The two walk up to the third floor, up to a room. “I’ll wait here.” Toews leans against the wall. He sees the scene unfold.

 

“Here. I thought we could listen to it together, Kyosuke.” Sayaka hands a disc to a slim, sickly looking boy. They listen together, the boy beginning to cry.

 

Toews peeks around the corner. _He has more than a chance if he just takes initiative. She’s all over him._

 

Kyosuke slams his fist on the CD player. _Ooh, that ain’t good._

 

Sayaka seems sorry, not angry or even a little weirded out, her body language indicates that this is all her fault. Toews shakes his head, disgusted. _Fucking prick, you’ve got her wrapped around your finger. Why haven’t you made your move?_ She walks out the door. “Sorry about that, Mr. Toews.”

 

“Don’t worry about it.” Toews claps Sayaka on the shoulder.

 

“Um, sorry again, but I have to use the bathroom. Could you wait here for a few more minutes?”

 

Toews shrugs his shoulders. “I don’t see why not.”

 

Another girl walks into the room, a green haired one. She has a Victorian air about her, seems prudish, at least that’s what Toews thought. “Good afternoon, sir. You were in class with us earlier, right?”

 

“Yeah. I guess. My name’s Jonathan Toews.”

 

The girl smiles, not an earnest smile like Madoka’s or a wide, happy one like Sayaka’s, more restrained than either. It seems controlled, forced, the girl’s smile seems unnatural. “My name is Hitomi Shizuki. Pleased to meet you. Those two girls you were talking to, we’ve been friends for years.” She bows.

 

“Pleased to meet you, Miss Shizuki. I suppose I should return your Victorian greeting with one of my own.” Toews mockingly curtseys. Something about this girl didn’t sit right with him. He couldn’t place his finger on it. When he came close, it would simply pull away again. Hitomi glared at him. It was small, but it was there. Her anger seemed to bubble just below the surface, she kept a cool facade.

 

“You are a funny man, Mr. Toews.” She walks into the hospital room. “Kyosuke, I’m here to heal you.” She kisses him deeply. After a short while, she leaves. The two were obviously together. The flirting became unbearable. Toews felt as if a rock had dropped into his stomach. 

 

“And you call yourself her friend? You’re a real piece of shit, you know that?”

 

“I have had feelings for Kyosuke for just as long as Sayaka. It is not my fault that she did not act on her feelings.” The girl’s facade shatters, revealing what was inside. “She knew she never had a chance with him anyway.”

 

“You better set this right, you little shit.” Toews’s cheeks feel like they’re on fire, he can feel the blood coursing through his temples.

 

“What is that charming saying you have over in the Americas? ‘All is fair in love and war?’”

 

Toews looks at her. “Yeah? We got another one. Bros before hos and sisters before misters. I’ll tell ya again. You better set this right. Go tell Miss Miki what you’ve done right now and beg for her forgiveness.”

 

“I am sorry, Mr. Toews, but I have to leave. I have a tea ceremony class that I cannot afford to miss.”

 

Toews looks to his right as the girl leaves. “Bitch.”

 

Sayaka returns a minute or two later. “Hey ya, Mr. Toews.” Her expression changes from a goofy smile to a look of concern in an instant. “What’s wrong?”

 

Toews lies. “Nothing. Just miss Canada, ya know?” He snaps his fingers. “Why don’t we check out yer place?”

 

 

 

 

Toews walks into a fenced off house, through the door and into the main area, there is a tasteful living room set, wooden tables and various shades of blue furniture. The TV is massive.

 

“And this is the kitchen. I cook.” Sayaka puffs her chest out proudly. The kitchen is also large, the fridge is well stocked with various vegetables and seafood, the sink… works. Toews turns on the faucet and immediately sticks his head into the stream. The cool water feels good in his hair, the humidity has taken a toll on him.

 

“Where’s the shower, Eh? I feel like I’m gonna die.”

 

Sayaka looks down. “Uh, my parents don’t let anyone use the master bath, but you can use my bathroom. It’s this way.”

 

She starts walking past the kitchen toward a bedroom. “I suppose this is your room?” A poster of some classical cellist decorates the door. Sayaka blushes. “It’s cool, my door still has my old Joe Sakic poster on it.” Toews smiles an unnatural looking smile, his lips part and he shows his teeth, but his face doesn’t really react to the movement of his mouth. The upper half of his face still shows a neutral expression.

 

Sayaka giggles, “You’re not very good at smiling, are you?”

 

Toews frowns. “Nope.” He walks into the room, it’s clean, bed in the corner, closet full of girly clothes, stuffed animals on top of the bed, door on the wall opposite the bed. “That the bathroom?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Cool.” Toews immediately jumps in the shower, not even bothering to undress, hammering the cold water switch. “What the fuck is with this place?” He lies in the shower for what seems like forever before he finally feels refreshed enough to sit up. Then he changes clothes to a Shattuck St. Mary’s Hockey t-shirt and another pair of shorts.

 

“I’m taking the couch. You okay with that?” Toews doesn’t wait for a response before throwing his hockey bag on the floor next to the couch, nearly knocking over the lamp in the process.

 

“Um, you sure you don’t want my bedroom? I can sleep in my parents’ room.”

 

“Your parents’ room? How about I take that.” Toews walks toward the only door he hasn’t opened, turning the knob. There is a small, white, cat-like creature sitting on the bed. “You have a cat?”

 

Sayaka jumps slightly, “No, we don’t have a cat.” She walks into the room.

 

The cat creature didn’t move. “You’re Sayaka Miki?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“I came here so you could make a contract with me and become a magical girl. Just make a wish and the contract will be completed.”

 

“A magical girl? I do have something I would wish for.”

 

“Okay, what wish will overcome the bounds of reality?”

 

 _You should probably wish for less shitty parents._ Toews rolls his eyes.

 

“Does the wish have to be for me? Can I wish for someone else?”

 

The creature, without moving, responds. “Nope! It can be for anything.”

 

“I wish for Kyosuke Kamijo’s hand to be healed.”

 

 _Fuck._ Toews involuntarily clenches his fists and looks away from the scene.

 

A brilliant blue orb emerges from Sayaka’s chest, she whimpers as it happens.

 

“Your wish has overcome entropy. You are now a magical girl.”

 

Toews turns and walks away. “This country is weird.”

 

 

 

“Listen, Miss Miki, about that guy. You shouldn’t let him treat you like that.”

 

“He was right, Mr. Toews, I was just reminding him of what he couldn’t do.” Sayaka stares out the window.

 

“Listen to me, if I, God forbid, couldn’t play hockey anymore and someone showed me some hockey highlights, I’d appreciate the gesture. I certainly wouldn’t lash out at them. Or, at the very least, I’d apologize. Did he even say that he was sorry?”

 

“No. He didn’t.”

 

“Exactly, Miss Miki.” Toews slaps the fat of his left hand against the palm of his right to emphasize the next few words. “This isn’t healthy. There’s no way you think it is.”

 

“I… I love him, Mr. Toews.” Sayaka looks away

 

“Do you? Do you really? What do you love about him?”

 

“He makes such beautiful music, Mr. Toews. Or, at least, he used to. But I made a wish, he’ll make music again.” Sayaka puts her hands over her chest.

 

“You put your ass on the line for some music?” Toews can’t believe it. She didn’t even say he was nice or hot or anything? He’s just a jukebox? “What the fuck is wrong with you?”

 

“What’s wrong with me? Wrong with ME?” Sayaka looks down, voice trailing off. She murmurs to herself. “What is wrong with me?”

 

Toews perks up. “Come on, I didn’t mean it like that. There’s nothing we can do about it now, just gotta move forward, right?” He chuckles nervously. _Aww shit._  

 

“Mr. Toews, what’s wrong with me?”

 

“Nothing. I spoke out of turn. I’m sorry. Here, I’ll play a song for you on…” Toews looks around. A… A guitar. There’s a guitar in her parents’ room. Perfect. “On guitar.”

 

Toews grabs the guitar, tunes it and gets in position. “Here, you wanted beautiful music?” Toews begins to play a melody on the guitar, only a couple of chords, then a more complex part. He continues playing, eventually getting faster, slowing down, speeding up again. _Is this how Dad got Mom in… in… in bed? Aww, gross. But it’s beautiful and he’s playing so fast._ “There. Did you like it?” Sayaka is staring wide eyed at him. She’s drooling a little bit again. “Uh, you okay?”

 

“That was beautiful.”

 

Toews puts the guitar up. “Thank you very little.”

 

“What’s it called?”

 

“Huh? Oh. It’s called—” _It’s called Jessica. Just say Jessica. Come on, Jonny, you got this. Don’t say anything stupid._ “—Sayaka.” Sayaka’s face lights up. “What did I say?” She can hardly hide the tears. “That’s so romantic. You played that. It was just for me.” Toews realizes what he said. “Uh, I mean, Jessica. The song’s called Jessica. Sorry for getting your hopes up, there.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea where I was going with this. I'm sure drunk me had a very, very good reason for why Jonathan Toews can play Jessica on guitar.


	6. Gave me gear, thank you dear, bring your sister over here

“A witch? Here?” Homura walks down the street in the rainy Chicago spring, tracking a witch. She comes to an alley, rats the size of dogs scurry away as she walks down. “Where is it?”

 

“What are you doing here? Shawzy’s gonna worry, you know.” She looks back to see Corey Crawford wearing a red jersey with an indian chief centered, large leg pads that come just past his knees, what looks like an oversized baseball glove over his left hand and a large stick in his right hand. “He thinks you’ve got PTSD or something.”

 

Homura stares through Crawford, “I might.”

 

Crawford puts his goalie helmet on, “Well, since you’re here, watch how a twenty year veteran does it.” He clicks his heels together and the pads, blocker and glove morph into ones made of what looks like steel, his stick becomes covered in barbs to where it resembles a club more than a goalie stick, his helmetmask closes mostly, looking more like a black knight’s helmet than a goalie mask. “It won’t take more than a minute.”

 

Inside the labyrinth are several familiars dressed in what look like school uniforms. Their facial features are distorted into masks of pain, their hands are blackened claws, they walk in a stiff, bowlegged manner as if they were zombies. “This girl wished not to go to Catholic school anymore. Good wish, too bad she didn’t make it too far before, well, her boyfriend broke up with her. Catholic girls are nothing if not dramatic and moody.” Crawford bashes two familiars with his stick, he drops to butterfly position to attack two more with his pads, their legs are cut out from under them. Crawford flips over and spins on his head, decapitating them with his skates. “Yep. This won’t take more than a minute.” Crawford summons a sheet of ice before him and starts skating forward. Homura transforms and chases after him.

 

“This is my witch.” Homura is suddenly in front of Crawford, shoving a pistol in his face. “Don’t interfere.”

 

“You can stop time. That’s cool, I guess.” Crawford casually skates past Homura, “This is my city. I live here. So any witches here are mine.”

 

“This is my witch.” Homura looks desperately for a sign of Crawford’s soul gem. If she can find it, she can point her pistol at that.

 

“You wanna play rock paper scissors for it?” Homura can’t see, but she knows Crawford is smiling behind the mask. “We’ll go on ‘shoot’. Ready?” Crawford shakes off his blocker.

 

She sighs deeply. “Fine.” _How did that man put up with you people?_ She readies her hands for rock paper scissors.

 

“Okay. Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!” Crawford reveals paper, Homura throws rock. “All right! Awesome! Now piss off! Or don’t. I don’t really care.”

 

Crawford moves forward to the center of the labyrinth, a witch wearing a green schoolgirl’s uniform with a head devoid of facial features, four arms with hands holding different weapons and a spider’s lower body awaits him. Crawford confidently strides toward the witch, stick held high. She lunges with a massive sword, which Crawford catches in his glove and breaks in half. She lunges forward with an axe and spear, chopping with one and stabbing with the other. Crawford confidently puts his blocker in front of the axe and moves his glove in front of the spear, breaking both. He then brains the witch with his stick in one quick motion. The labyrinth dissolves around him as he reaches down to glove the grief seed. “No. NO, GOD DAMMIT, NO! MOTHERFUCKER! CALICE! TABARNAK! Criss de calice de tabarnak d'osti de sacrament! Fuck.” Crawford throws off his mask, blocker and glove and kneels down.

 

Homura takes a step forward, placing her hand on his shoulder, “Are you okay? What’s wrong?”

 

“That took me more than a minute.” Crawford stands up and removes his pads. “Here. I have a present for you. Open your hand and close your eyes.”

 

Homura does what she’s told, it makes no sense to egg on the obviously unstable magical man before her. She feels a small round object in her hand.

 

“I didn’t really use any magic up in that fight. Fuckin eh, I conserve it well enough anyway. That one’s yours.”

 

Homura opens her eyes and sees a grief seed in her hand. “Why?”

 

“You used up a lot of magic without cleaning your soul of gunk in the past few days, didn’t you? Plus, that concern for your friend is weighing really heavily on your mind.” Homura begins to open her mouth to ask Crawford how he knew that, he taps his head, “That’s a good way to turn into a witch, you know. I’ll say again, you need that more than me. See you at morning skate tomorrow.”

 

Homura’s eyes grow wide. “What does that mean?”

 

Crawford shouts over his shoulder while walking away, “You’ll find out tomorrow.”

 

Homura follows him. “I want to know now, Mr. Crawford.”

 

Crawford sighs, “Okay, okay. Tell you what, I’ll spill the gory details if you follow me.”

 

Crawford and Homura walk through the alley, down some streets, until they come to an area flushed with people, even more than usual. “What’s this?”

 

“A part of town known as Wrigleyville. Should be pretty relevant considering your… unique situation.”

 

A trio of fat guys wearing white and blue pinstriped jerseys are hanging off of each other. They’re singing off key. “GO CUBS GO! GO CUBS GO! HEY, CHICAGO, WHADDAYA SAY? THE CUBS ARE GONNA WIN TODAY!”

 

Homura recognizes the jerseys as baseball jerseys. “They seem happy, their baseball team must be successful.”

 

Crawford grins, “Go tell them that.”

 

“Excuse me, sirs, I am not familiar with American baseball. Is your team successful?”

 

One of the fat guys, a balding redhead with a blue dyed beard, speaks up. “The Cubs? Fuck no. The Cubs have sucked since I was a kid. My grandpa is the last guy in my family ever saw ‘em in a World Series and he’s fuckin’ dead. But this is our year, baby!”

 

“When did your grandfather see your team in the…” Homura tries to remember the words. “World Series?”

 

“1945. They lost. He saw ‘em win in 1908, though. C’MON SING, KID! THIS IS OUR FUCKIN’ YEAR! GO CUBS GO! GO CUBS GO! HEY, CHICAGO, WHADDAYA SAY? THE CUBS ARE GONNA WIN TODAY!”

 

Homura walks away, scowling. “Mr. Crawford, be serious. Their team is awful.”

 

“They’re good this year, or at least that’s what that guy thinks.”

 

“Are they good?”

 

“Doesn’t really matter. They believe and that’s all that matters.”

 

The same song, the refrain of Go Cubs Go continues to permeate the area. People singing in midwestern accents, off key, drunkenly. Homura smiled a small smile. _Maybe._

 

 

 

Homura wakes up to the sound of screaming through the wall

 

“LOOK AT THESE OFF BRAND NIGGAZ TALKIN’ ABOUT THEY BE HOLDIN’ FIGGAS AS BIG AS JIGGA’S, THAT’S THAT BULLSHIT, DON’T THEY KNOW THAT AROUND ME TALKIN’ ABOUT WHAT YOU GOT WILL GET YOU HIT? I’M NOT A NICE PERSON! I MEAN I SMACK THE SHIT OUT YOU TWICE DOG AND THAT’S BEFORE I START CURSIN’!”

 

Homura braves the screaming to find its source, walking slowly and cautiously, careful not to make a sound, ready to transform at any minute.

 

“D-M-X! IF YOU WANT IT, WE GOT IT, COME AND GET IT NIGGA WE WITH IT, ALL YOU GOTTA DO IS SET IT BABY. RIDE OR DIE! WHAT Y’ALL NIGGAZ WANT?”

 

She slowly opens the door, careful not to let it creak.

 

Andrew Shaw is in a towel, gesturing menacingly at the mirror in time with the screaming. Homura slams the door and sprints back to the bedroom, pretending she didn’t see anything. She jumps in, pulls the comforter tightly over her head and pretends to sleep.

 

A few minutes later, Shaw opens the door wide and turns on the lights, “GET UP, KID! We got morning skate!” He pulls the covers off the bed, “C’mon, let’s get up! Brand new day!”

 

“It’s still dark out.” Homura recoils from the light.

 

“C’mon, I got skates and everything for you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Corey Crawford fought sorta Chaos Witch Quelaag.
> 
> The Homura/Cubs joke is hilarious. Or at least I liked it.
> 
> Doesn't Andrew Shaw seem like the kind of guy who would really, really like DMX or is it just me?


	7. Let her dance with me just for the hell of it

“I’m scared. This is my first time patrolling as a magical girl. How am I going to tell Madoka about this? Will she want to stop being friends with me? Will Kyosuke love me back if I don’t tell him about my wish?” Sayaka speaks at a mile a minute, peeling off a long series of questions that she doesn’t seem to actually want answered. Jonathan Toews disinterestedly plays with his stick tape while sitting on her bed, turning it over in his hands. “What if Madoka became a magical girl?”

 

Toews perks up. “I think that may be a bad idea.”

 

“Why’s that?” Sayaka turns around, stopping her pacing.

 

“Call it intuition, Miss Miki.” Toews tries to wink and simply opens and closes his eyes.

 

“You know, it’s really cute that you don’t have any control over your face. Did anyone ever tell you that?” Sayaka winks.

 

 _You’re so out of your depth right now._ “Miss Miki, that’s the most bizarre compliment I’ve ever received.” Toews stands up and walks toward the door. “I fought one of those witches at the mall, they’re really not that tough. You just gotta stay focused.” Toews grabs the roller blades out of his bag. “In fact, I’ll come with you. Shouldn’t be that bad, eh?”

 

“Why are you putting those on?”

 

“I skate faster than most people can sprint and there’s not much ice here. These are my only option.”

 

Sayaka shrugs her shoulders. “You’re talking like some sort of anime character right now. ‘I can skate faster than most people can sprint.’” She mocks Toews’s deep monotone and giggles.

 

They walk outside. Toews puts his skates on. “Try to keep up with me.” He is off in a flash, short strides giving way to long ones as he gets up to top speed.

 

“H-hey! Wait up!” Sayaka runs as fast as her legs can carry her. Her long legs allow her to make up a lot of ground with every step. She runs faster and faster, amazed that she isn’t getting tired. Her breathing remains even as if she were walking. Her soul gem reacts, glowing brightly. “This must be it.” Sayaka walks through the barrier into the labyrinth, transforming as she does. She draws a cutlass, ready to fight.

 

“I swear she couldn’t have gone that far behind.” Toews looks back. “Miss Miki? Do you believe me now?” Toews starts back.

 

“Mr. Toews!”

 

Toews spins around to see a familiar figure, pink pigtails, ridiculously large smile, running in an extremely girly fashion. _Oh, joy. This is just what I wanted today._ “Good evening, Miss Kaname. How are you tonight?”

 

“I feel great! Um, where’s Sayaka?” Madoka’s smile starts to fade.

 

“Somewhere, I’m sure. I was about to go back to find her. Would you like to join me?”

 

“Sure! I can’t run very fast, though, I’m just an ordinary girl.”

 

Toews wants to get this over with quickly, he can’t stop himself from spilling the practical solution before he does. “I could give you a piggyback ride.” _Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. What did I just say?_

 

Madoka blushes deeply. “U… Um. If you want.” She climbs on Toews’s back, hugging his neck tight.

 

“Uh, you’re choking me. You wanna loosen up that grip?” Toews begins to skate quickly. He runs headlong into the witch’s barrier where Sayaka is doing battle with a birdlike creature, flapping its wings and attacking with talons at the end of human legs. She is slashing at it with swords, ignoring the attacks.

 

“That fighter looks like… SHAWZY!” Toews charges forward, putting his shoulder into the creature at top speed, crushing its head. The witch makes a gurgling sound and dies.

 

“You okay, Shawzy? C’mon, Mutt, speak to me.” Toews shakes an obviously conscious and lucid Sayaka.

 

“I’m fine, but I don’t like your pet name for me much. Sayaka is fine, you know.” She blushes.

 

“Oh… Uh, I see. Good fighting, Miss Miki. You did well for your first time.”

 

“You’re such a tease, Mr. Toews,” Sayaka draws closer, “I like that about you.”

 

 _Shit._  

 

“What, what is this? What happened?” Madoka is looking around frantically, visibly shaking.

 

Sayaka hugs her best friend tightly. “Hey, you’re okay, Madoka. It can’t hurt you anymore. We beat it up.”

 

_Fuckin’ eh, Shawzy, I think we might’ve found a best friend for you._

 

“That was a witch. They’re creatures that your friend fights as a magical girl. If you make a wish, you could become one too.” A pair of pink eyes are visible from the corner.

 

_That ain’t good._


	8. Well You Must Be a Boy with Bones Like That, She Said You Got Me Wrong

Andrew Shaw walked toward his car in the parking garage, shaking with excitement. “Okay, kid. You know how to skate, right?”

 

“Yes. When I was young my parents took me to an ice rink in Nagano.” Homura’s pace quickened.

 

“Great. You can participate, then. This is gonna be, like, for reals, so cool.”

 

“Did you just say ‘for reals’?” Homura stops in her tracks, looking over to her host.

 

“Yeah. Sorry. It’s a bit dated, isn’t it? I’ll just shut up now” Shaw blushes slightly, he looks away to hide his shame.

 

“No. That won’t be necessary.” _Do I miss Sayaka Miki?_

 

They get in the car, a smaller luxury SUV, the kind that is in vogue in Chicago. “Okay. You all right with me blasting tunes?” Shaw doesn’t wait for an answer.

 

“I…” Homura recoils from the sudden loud noises

 

**_confine me it’s all that I see, sickness keeps you following me, keep tight inside all that is sharp, hold tight inside all that is dark_ **

 

Shaw starts head banging wildly. “I Fuckin’ love this song.”

 

He peels out of the parking lot and into the street

 

**_tear, I’ll shut you up, tear, I’ll shut you up, tear, I’ll shut you up_ **

 

Shaw drives at well above posted speeds, still head banging, obviously not looking at the road.

 

Shaw begins to scream along to the lyrics, “DOWN, DOWN, DOWN, I’LL DESTROY YOU, KILL OR BE KILLED! DOWN, DOWN, DOWN, YOU’VE BECOME THE ENEMY. ENEMY.”

 

Homura’s stomach knots up, she curls into a ball in the passenger seat, her breathing quickens, the long series of heavy metal songs continues. _The things I do for you, Madoka._

 

“All right! We’re here.” Shaw points at a building. “That’s the practice facility.”

 

Homura has never felt happier to be on her own two feet. “Mr. Shaw, do you normally drive like that?”

 

“Yeah. I don’t see anything wrong with it. We’re good.”

 

“Mr. Shaw, you should really pay attention to the road. You nearly got us both killed on several occasions.”

 

Shaw laughed. “Die young and leave a pretty corpse, kid.” Homura frowns. “Okay, I’ll be super safe for ya when we’re going back, okay?”

 

The skate goes without incident. Corey Crawford walks into the curtained off area where Homura is changing. She is nowhere to be seen. “Mr. Crawford, I need you to leave.”

 

“I was reading your mind, Homura Akemi. I can help you with your problem.”

 

‘This couldn’t wait until a few minutes later?”

 

“No. Could you come out now? I don’t really care about your state of undress. You’re not blonde and I only like blondes.”

 

Homura walks out from behind a locker, fully clothed. “I’m listening.”

 

“Ask Shawzy what every team needs. If you do, I’ll tell you of somebody who can defeat Walpurgisnacht.”

 

“I will. Who do you know?”

 

“My teacher is the mightiest magic user of all time. That’s who I know. But first, I want Shawzy’s answer to that question. I won’t help you until then.”

 

 

 

Andrew Shaw’s SUV is quiet on the drive back, he is sure to drive carefully for Homura’s sake.

 

“Mr. Shaw, what does every team need?”

 

Shaw looks over, stunned. “Why do you ask?”

 

“I’m curious.”

 

“Well, first you gotta have a goalie. The weirder the better. Ya know, Crow is pretty weird. Then, ya gotta have a captain. Somebody who’s been there before is best but a young prodigy works okay, too. We got Tazer and he’s a great captain. I admire him a lot.” Shaw shuts up immediately, looking down.

 

“Mr. Shaw, that was kinda cute.” Homura giggles. “Jonathan Toews means a lot to you, doesn’t he?”

 

“He’s my captain. I’m sworn to protect him. Which, by the way, you need an energy guy.  A guy who pumps up the crowd and is willing to do anything to win, especially putting his body on the line. Every champion team has one.” Shaw puffs his chest out proudly.

 

“I think I know somebody like that.”

 

“Do ya? Well, you need a bunch of guys working toward a common goal, you need a sense of camaraderie. When you step out onto the ice, petty things can’t matter anymore. You gotta have one heartbeat. Before the game, the captain’s gotta give a speech. He’s gotta say something to get the boys ready. I know you don’t think much of him, but Tazer always has a few words for us in the locker room. It really gets us going.”

 

Shaw continues. “You also gotta have a veteran who hasn’t ever won it all before. It doesn’t make any sense, but we always play better with a veteran who’s never won it before. You wanna win it for them.”

 

“Anything else?”

 

“Some more warm bodies. But if you got that, you’re good.”

 

“I understand.”

 

Shaw stops the car. “You know, I’m happy you asked me that question. It’s great that you’re coming out of your shell a little.”

 

“I’m happy. Mr. Shaw, are we friends?” Homura’s heart beats faster, her breathing gets heavy.

 

“If you want, kid.”  Shaw puts his hand on her shoulder.

 

Homura can’t keep from crying.

 

“You’re gonna be okay, kid, it’s okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I guess Shawzy shares my terrible musical tastes.


	9. I Would’ve Sold Them To You if Could’ve Kept the Last of My Cothes On

“Miss Kaname, that’s a terrible idea. This is dangerous work.” Toews, remembering the note in his bag, steps in. _This better be worth it._

 

“I want to help Sayaka. I wish-“ Madoka stands resolute.

 

“Wait, Madoka, please, I can do this. I always wanted to be a hero. And now that I am one, I’ll get to protect you.” Tears begin to form in the corner of Sayaka’s eyes. “Please let me have that, Madoka.”

 

 

 

_“It’s my job to fight on this team, Captain. Please let me do my job.”  She’s just a girl._

 

 

 

Toews stands up, he remembers now that he possesses another valuable skill. He must face these people, not as a cute boy, but as the captain of this team. He was going to slap that C onto his jersey and let the world know just what kind of leader he was. This was it. “Miss Miki, don’t go playing the martyr like that. You see, we’re a team now. And as teammates, we stick together and stick up for each other. Don’t throw yourself away.” Toews turns towards Madoka. “Listen, you’re not cut out for this. Dammit, I wish you were, I really wish you were, but you’re not made of the same stuff that your friend is. She was born to fight, you weren’t. Trust me, you’re more valuable without these magical powers. You gotta believe that.”

 

The creature interjects. “There is a powerful witch coming, Walpurgisnacht, that is much too powerful to need a barrier or a labyrinth. She is too much for one mag-“

 

“What about that other girl I met, Mami Tomoe? She’s a magical girl. Look at that, now there’s two.”

 

“Madoka Kaname, listen to me,” the creature begins to speak again, “you have the pot-“

 

“YOU’RE TALKING TO ME, SHIT FOR BRAINS, NOT THE GIRL. YOU FUCKIN’ LEAVE HER OUT OF THIS.” Toews’s monotone breaks, revealing the Captain Serious that his teammates admired so much, the player, no, the man Sidney Crosby asked permission from to be Team Canada’s captain, Jonathan Toews, the perennial captain, had truly arrived in Mitakihara City. “I’m tougher than both these girls and I say that the three of us are enough to take anything on. You don’t wanna believe that? Then fuck you anyway. We didn’t need you to believe in us in the first place.”

 

“You summoned me, Kyubey?” An elegant voice carried on the wind, a figure walked up, graceful and ladylike. Mami Tomoe had arrived on the scene.

 

“Yes, Mami Tomoe, please try to talk some sense into these people. Walpurgisnacht is coming and-“

 

“Slow down, what is Walpurgisnacht?”

 

Kyubey continues, “If I can continue without interruption… Walpurgisnacht is an extremely powerful witch that no magical girl can take on alone, you would need a large team of them. However, I have found one with enormous magical potential, enough to take down Walpurgisnacht, Madoka Kaname.”

 

“Where is this Madoka Kaname?” Mami smiles, “I’d love to meet her.”

 

Toews steps in, “She’s the girl over there, the short one. She doesn’t need to become one of you. You, me, and that girl over there,” he points at Sayaka, “should be enough.”

 

Mami looks over at Sayaka, “So you’re our mysterious friend, I take it?”

 

Sayaka extends a hand, “Yeah, my name is Sayaka Miki.” Mami accepts the hand, grabbing Sayaka by the forearm.

 

“We’re comrades, then. How long have you been a magical girl, Miss Miki?” Mami looks Sayaka over with her deep, soulful eyes.

 

“A few hours. This was my first fight. Of course, Mr. Toews helped a little…” Sayaka looks down and away, embarrassed, “…A lot.”

 

‘You should let me be your senior, Miss Miki! We could fight witches together!” Mami’s face lights up. “I’ve been a magical girl for quite a while, so you could count on me to show you the ropes.”

 

“I think I’m gonna go. I’m tired.” Toews leaves for, not exactly home, more Sayaka’s place, but he leaves anyway. That’s the important part here. He skates away, ready to hit the sack.

 

Toews sleeps deeply in Sayaka’s room, his feet hanging over the edge of the bed, his head up against the headboard. He snores. _He was born in Big Beaver by the borderline, started playing hockey by the time he was nine._ Toews stirs in his sleep. _He grew up big and he grew up tough, he saw himself scoring for the Wings or Canucks._ Toews sees Sayaka in her magical girl attire in his mind’s eye. _But he wasn’t that good with the puck._ Toews twists and turns as the song plays out, _The crowd jumped up, the Finn jumped too, cold cocked Buddy on his follow through._ A boy, a frail one with a hospital gown on, punches Sayaka in the face, she collapses. A green haired girl in the stands cheers. The organ and piano tracks of Hit Somebody become distorted, warped, as if the tape had been dropped in a bathtub full of lime. The tracks disappear, leaving only a voice too deep to belong to the same singer. Toews recognizes this as his own voice. _The big man crumbled, then he looked up high, cuz’ the last thing he saw was the puck going wide._ That’s not true, Buddy the Goon scores at the end of the song. That’s how it ends. He finally scores a goal. Right? Toews shakes awake, immediately sprinting over to the master bedroom. _She’s in here, right?_ Toews opens the door, slamming it against the wall. Sayaka is sound asleep. She moans slightly and turns over, sighing again. She seems to be grabbing a hold of something. “Mr. Toews, I…” _Shit. Is she awake?_ Sayaka sighs, shifting slightly. _I gotta get out of here._ “You don’t understand, Mr. Toews, There’s someone else…” Sayaka shifts again, turns over and continues her sleeptalk, babbling nonsense.

 

The two walk towards school the next morning, Sayaka hanging off of Toews, clumsily flirting with him. “You don’t really have any game, Miss Miki.”

 

“Shut up, yes I do.” Sayaka blushes deeply.

 

“No you don’t. You have exactly the opposite of game.” Toews tries to smile. “It’s kinda cute.”

 

Sayaka blushes even deeper. Toews slaps her on the back. “You oughta see the look on your face. It’s fuckin’ great. Yer a fuckin’ beauty, you know that?”

 

“You think I’m beautiful?”

 

“Uh, no, you’re a beauty. You know, yer fuckin’ great.”

 

“Oh.” Sayaka grins, she’ll take that.

 

A slim, frail boy greets the two at Mitakihara Middle School’s front door. “Sa-Sayaka. My hand, my hand healed up.”

 

“Just like I said it would, Kyosuke.”

 

“Who is this? Is he bothering you?” Kyosuke shoves a finger in Toews’s face.

 

“My name is Jonathan Toews. Get your hand out of my face, kid, unless you wanna drop ‘em.”

 

“You would do well to stay away from my girl, Toews. I’ll put you down if you go anywhere near her.”

 

“Whatever. You wanna blow smoke? Have a dart.” Toews pulls out a pack of cigarettes, flicking one at Kyosuke.

 

“You wanna fight right now? I’ll take you right now. I’ll mess you up, pretty boy.”

 

Toews raises his hands, preparing to fight. “Let’s go then.” Kyosuke charges forward, he is immediately met with a right from Toews, who grabs his collar with his left and starts teeing off with his right anew. Kyosuke tries to reach the taller Toews, but this is met with a quick jab of the left around his collar, keeping him away. Toews connects with a right to Kyosuke’s chin, putting him down. “I’m not even a good fighter, kid, you suck.”

 

Kyosuke scrambles to his feet, “Keep away from Hitomi, or else.” His face is busted open at this point, eyes beginning to swell.

 

“Whatever, Eh. Why don’t you go bleed somewhere else? This is my favorite shirt.”

 

“H-Hitomi? What do you mean Hitomi?” Sayaka is shaking, a mix of rage and betrayal. “I thought… I mean…”

 

Kyosuke walks away without addressing the shaking girl before him.

 

“You gonna be okay, eh?” Toews puts a friendly hand on Sayaka’s shoulder.

 

“He chose Hitomi. I visited him in the hospital every day, Mr. Toews, every day. I thought… I was stupid.” Sayaka runs away, Toews sprints off to follow. She turns, “You stay away from me. If you follow me, I’ll kill you.”

 

“Okay, cool off. I’ll see you at lunch break on the roof.” Toews walks away.

 

Sayaka’s soul gem glows bright, “A witch? Here?” She walks through the barrier, into an area filled with sweets, high chairs and tables with cakes piled high everywhere. A group of familiars, round creatures with nurse’s hats, surround her. Sayaka draws a pair of cutlasses, she knows that there is no way she can take all of them at once. There are dozens. Suddenly, a barrage of shots rips into the familiars, hundreds and hundreds of shots, the sound is deafening, as if a unit of minutemen had opened fire. “What? Who’s there?”

 

“Miss Miki, it is good to see you here.” The serene and elegant Mami Tomoe had, once again, arrived on the scene. “I have much to teach you.”

 

 _I’m no good, I have to be saved. What kind of hero needs rescuing?_ Sayaka looks down, embarrassed. She sprints off in the general direction of the witch, determined to kill her or die trying. Mami tears off in pursuit. The two fight off what seems like an army of familiars before they reach the witch, a small girl in a dress, eyes black voids. Mami summons a musket that transforms into a giant cannon. “Let me show you my finishing move,”

 

Sayaka, despite the sequence of events that had preceded this moment, couldn’t help but laugh. “Are you a pro wrestler now?”

 

Mami shakes off the comment, “Tiro Finale,” a massive shot lights up the room, ribbons tie up the creature. Suddenly, a black creature, polka dots all over its body, white head, emerges from the witch, gnashing its massive teeth, looking straight at Mami.

 

Mami is stunned, she can’t move, her finishing attack has never failed her. The creature opens its mouth, ready to finish her off. Suddenly, its cheek collapses, teeth shattering one after another, it slams against a wall. Another creature emerges, it meets the same fate. Another and another rise just to be put down. Mami notices that small rubber discs are slamming into the witch. The witch, at this point, is truly dead. ‘WOO! SHOWTIME, BABY! Where’s Tazer?” A man with messy, curly hair, wearing a pair of jeans and a shirt with a popped collar emerges from the shadows. He smiles a toothy grin, “And what lovely ladies are before me, baby. Did it hurt when you both fell from heaven?”

 

“Get away from us, pervert, or I’ll gut you.” Sayaka draws a blade, pointing it at the man. Suddenly, a voice breaks the silence. “Kaner? Kaner, is that you?”

 

“Yeah, Jonny, it’s me.”

 

Toews sprints out of the shadows, hugging the man tightly. “Patrick fucking Kane. My friend. What are you doing here?”

 

“I’m here to get you, Tazer. Playoffs start in ten days, man.” Kane returns the hug, happy to see his teammate.

 

“Kaner, I gotta deal with something called Walpurgisnacht first. It’ll be here any day, yet.”

 

“Mr. Toews, I enlisted some help from a neighboring town. We will go and meet her later, if you would like.”

 

“That sounds great, Miss Tomoe.”

 

 

 

Kane leads the three to a rental car, a flashy black SUV. “I thought you were too rich and too good looking to drive, Kaner.”

 

“I am,” Kane throws Toews the keys, “you’re my chauffeur today.” Kane cracks open a beer. “Got it?”

 

Toews gets in the driver side, turning the key in the ignition. Kane hooks up his MP3 player. “A’ight. Let’s do it.” Mami and Sayaka are piled into the back seat. “Where we going?”

 

“The arcade. It’s down this road, you take a left, you go a couple blocks and take a right, and you’re right there.” Mami points and gestures during her instruction.

 

”Got it.” The music begins to play. **_1\. 1, 2. you know the sun don’t shine forever, but as long as it’s here then we might as well shine together. Better now than never, business before pleasure, P Diddy and the fam_** Kane and Toews interject “WHO YOU KNOW DO IT BETTER!” Sayaka starts nodding her head into the beat. Biggie Smalls’ verse starts, she starts shaking. “Are you okay, Miss Miki?” Mami’s face is a mask of concern. Busta Rhymes’s hype verse hits, **_WE GOT THAT REAL LIVE SHIT FROM FRONT TO BACK, ALL MY PEOPLE IN THE WORLD, WHERE THE FUCK YOU AT?_** Sayaka, at this point, is thrashing back and forth violently, “Miss Miki, are you all right?” Kane looks back. “She’s good, man, she’s just feeling it. You feeling it?”

 

“I can take on the whole world. I’M THE BADDEST THERE IS!” Sayaka starts beating her chest, still thrashing.

 

Kane rolls down Sayaka’s window. “TELL THE WORLD, BABY! TELL THE WHOLE WORLD!”

 

“MY NAME IS SAYAKA MIKI, AND I AM THE BADDEST BITCH ON THE PLANET FOR REALS!”

 

“Kaner, maybe you should stop. She’s kinda unstable right now.”

 

“YO, SAYAKA, TELL THESE BITCHES WHERE IT’S AT!”

 

Sayaka screams, a primal war cry, “I’M IN THE HOOD ALL DAY! BRING YOUR WHOLE CREW! IT’S JUST ANOTHER DICK IN THE MUD, TAKE YOU TO THE ICU CUZ I SEE YOU!” She is halfway out the window, banging her fist against the door.

 

“Fuckin’ get it!”

 

“Kaner, we’re here.” Toews grabs Sayaka by the back of her shirt, forcing her back into the car. The four walk into the arcade. A girl with incredibly long red hair is playing DDR, “That’s her.” Mami walks toward the girl. “Kyoko.”

 

The girl holds her finger up, “One minute.” She finishes playing. “What do you want, Mami? Need help wiping your ass?”

 

Kane steps forward, “I think I like you.”

 

“Who’s this clown?”

 

The conversation continues, Mami and Kane trying to make nice, Kyoko insulting them. Not much is being accomplished. Toews and Sayaka are busy at this time, playing a two player fighting game.

 

“Mr. Toews, Sayaka!” A small figure emerges, massive smile, running in a girly fashion, pink hair done up in ribbons. Toews and Sayaka mumble under their breath in unison. “aw shit.”

 

“Uh, listen, Miss Miki, keep Miss Kaname far away from-“ Toews looks over at the show going on by the DDR machine “whatever you call that. Got it?”

 

Sayaka mockingly salutes, “Got it, captain.” She turns, “Hey, Madoka, let’s play. I bet I beat you this time.”

 

Toews starts walking over, finally tired of the events transpiring before him. “I’m getting too old for this shit.” He feels something tugging against his arm as he arrives. “Mr. Toews, they’re arguing. You should hang out with me and Sayaka.”

 

“Whoa, who’s that cutie?” Kane and Kyoko say in unison.

 

“What, you like her? You look like the kind of girl who likes to fight.” Toews raises his eyebrows.

 

“Yeah, I do. What of it?”

 

“I’ll fight you for her. If I win, you gotta help us with Walpurgisnacht. If you win, Miss Kaname will go out with you.”

 

“Mr. Toews…” Madoka blushes.

 

“Listen, Miss Kaname, I’m not gonna lose. You believe in me, don’t you?” Toews puts in his earbuds. “Kaner, go out to the car, grab my stick, and meet me in the alley behind this arcade. Got it?”

 

‘Got it, captain.”

 

Toews plays some Powerman 5000 and grabs his stick, Kyoko transforms and draws a large spear. She thrusts, Toews lifts the shaft with his stick, putting his shoulder into her, sending her backwards. Kyoko attacks again, Toews takes her feet out from under her with the stick, sending her tumbling. He pounces, pinning her arms to her side with his thighs, fists raised. An MMA enthusiast would call this a full mount. “You give?” Toews pauses the song. He relaxes. “Yeah, I give, I’ll help you. I only lost because I underestimated you, anyway.”

 

“Don’t make a habit of that. You’re no good to us dead.”

 

“Whatever.”

 


	10. I Could Be Your Regular Belle

“Crow, I’m going to Mats Sundin City or whatever. We gotta get Tazer back.” Patrick Kane heaves a bag over his shoulder. “The regular season ends tonight, we need Tazer more than anything right now.”

 

“Okay, Kaner, please be careful. Mitakihara City is a dangerous place.” Corey Crawford pats his teammate on the shoulder. He leans against the Bean again, the ugly modern art piece was a reflective silver thing, rounded but flattened at the top. He sees a figure. Long, silky black hair, dressed in a purple and white costume. “Homura Akemi, you got my answer?”

 

“You need a weird goalie, a veteran who hasn’t been there before, a captain, an energy guy and some warm bodies.” Homura closes her eyes, anticipating Crawford’s answer.

 

“Weird? I’m not weird. Whatever, Shawzy probably thinks I’m weird.” Crawford turns his head and shouts, “Teacher, you should come out now.” A thin man with grey hair and crazy eyes steps from around a corner, he looks frail. He has a missing tooth, Homura can tell from his toothy smile. He speaks in a thick Czech accent. “You are Homura Akemi? The magical girl who promises me the fight of my life? Charmed. My name is Dominik Hasek.”

 

“Mr. Hasek, excuse my saying this but you are much less impressive looking than I expected.” Homura closes her hands around her mouth, too late to keep the words from slipping out.

 

Hasek transforms, he is in a black, red and white jersey with what looks like an angry goat centered, a pair of pads, a blocker, a stick, a glove and a full cage mask, different from Crawford’s. “If you believe that, you should have no problem defeating me. Don’t worry, this is a friendly sparring session.” Hasek opens his satchel, “I have plenty of grief seeds from my time as a magical man, so please don’t hesitate to go all out.” He confidently slides into his goalie stance, setting the satchel aside. Crawford walks over and picks it up. Homura stops time, positioning herself behind Hasek, drawing a pistol, this fight would be easy. She fires. “Your soul gem isn’t here, this shouldn’t kill you.” She restarts time, Hasek is gone. She feels something cold resting over her soul gem. “I guess I win. Want to play again?” She looks to see Hasek’s glove positioned over her left hand. “If I squeeze, it would shatter your soul gem. You would be dead. Would you like to try again?” They reposition themselves. This time, Homura lies in wait atop a building across the street, she takes out a rifle. She positions the scope over Hasek’s knee and fires. She restarts time. Hasek, the second time restarts, confidently puts his blocker over it, knocking the bullet away. He looks up and shouts, “Stopping time is impressive, but the problem is that you have to restart to attack. I react too quickly for that to be a problem.” Homura grabs a baseball bat from an apartment on her way down, stopping time again, and swings without restarting time. Suddenly, what was once nowhere near the side of his head, was Hasek’s glove, he catches the bat. “I can react instantaneously. I am a very good goalie.” He smiles a childlike smile. “Are you having as much fun as I am, Miss Akemi?”

 

Homura grins, “You are amazing, Mr. Hasek, I can not believe that there is a magic user this powerful. I… I can…” Homura sheds tears as she smiles, tears of happiness. Her miserable existence, looping over and over again to try to save her only friend, might be over. _The things I do for you, Madoka._ Hasek places a friendly hand on Homura’s cheek. She looks up into his smiling face. “There is no time for tears now. I am more than willing to help as long as the prey is strong. Now, tell me everything you know about this…”

 

“Walpurgisnacht.”

 

Hasek raises an eyebrow, “Sounds like a challenge. I would be happy to assist you.” He reaches into his satchel, pulling out a grief seed. “You might need this.” He throws it, Homura catches it. She puts it to her soul gem, cleansing it. Hasek turns around, “You can come out now, Marian. I know you’re there.” The serene Marian Hossa steps out of the shadows, smiling. “I suppose I can’t hide from you, eh Dom? How has the Association of Superpowered Saviors’ grandmaster been?”

 

“Fine, Hoss, just fine. The ASS is certainly as healthy as ever. You know, you are welcome to join if you wish. The offer still stands.”

 

“As I told you ten years ago, please give my seat to someone else.” Hossa frowns now, waiting for Hasek to relent.

 

“Very well. At least come with Corey and I to this…”

 

Homura completes the request, “Mitakihara City. Mr. Hossa, would you please join us?”

 

Hossa smiles. “Of course, I have some business there. It isn’t important, but how can I say no to such a request?”

 

“Business?”

 

“Yes, I have to stop something terrible from happening.”

 

“You…” Homura shakes with rage, “You were supposed to stop Walpurgisnacht? How-“

 

Hossa raises a hand, “Nothing that big. I would drop everything for that. It will become apparent once I arrive.”

 

 

 

The plane taxis, waiting to take off, the connection from LAX to Mitakihara City would take a very long time. Andrew Shaw insisted on joining, not knowing that Homura is a magical girl. He only heard the word danger and immediately went for the sake of his captain. He, if he knew of the three magic users and the demigod sitting next to him, would have likely stayed in Chicago.

 

Crawford, Hossa and Hasek are embroiled in a conversation about how to best deal with witches as Homura falls asleep. She feels something warm on her forehead as she slowly wakes up, looking up to see the side of Shaw’s head. They fell asleep on each other. “You know, Shawzy has that older brother instinct. He seems to know who need his help the most and immediately seeks them out. Miss Akemi, you’re troubled, aren’t you?” Hossa smiles. “It’s okay. I’ve seen your trouble through many, many repeats of the same month. You tried over and over again to get the result you want. I think you’ll be surprised to see how it plays out.”

 

“What about Madoka?”

 

“I’ve said too much already. How would you say it? At least for now,” Hossa imitates Homura’s cold monotone, “It’s best you forget about Madoka Kaname.” He giggles like a schoolgirl. “Oh my, your speech patterns are a lot like Jon’s. It’s fun to imitate you.”

 

 

 

“You like girls, don’t you?” Patrick Kane points thoughtfully at Sayaka.

 

“Kaner, what does that have to do with anything?” Toews shakes his head.

 

“Sayaka’s making my gaydar go off, man. Ten bucks says she likes girls.” Kane pauses. “Not that there’s anything wrong with that.”

 

“Kaner, she’s been flirting with me since I got here. I don’t believe that’s true.”

 

Sayaka, stunned, still doesn’t speak.

 

“I bet it was overt, man. She was probably hanging all over you.”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Girls don’t flirt like that, bro.”

 

“Not around you, you mean. You monopolize every conversation, man.”

 

“Whatever. Hey, Sayaka, are you a lesbian?”

 

“KANER-“

 

Sayaka looks down, “I… I don’t know. Should I be? I’m not a particularly good magical girl, and I can’t be with either man I like. Should I?”

 

Kane’s face contorts, revealing a confused look. “Where the hell did that come from?”

 

Sayaka walks away, head still down. “I’m no good, Mr. Kane. I’m just no good.”

 

Kane follows her, “Bullshit. You’re the baddest bitch there is. That’s what you said.”

 

“You were just egging me on.”

 

“C’mon, man, just smile. I’m sorry for making fun of you, okay?”

 

“Don’t follow me.”

 

Kane jokingly grabs Sayaka’s soul gem. “Fuck your shit, dawg. Fuck all your shit. Tazer, go long!””

 

“Give that back.”

 

Kane launches the gem, Toews catches it. “HE’S IN THE OFFENSIVE ZONE, HE SHOOTS, SCORES! THE WINNIPEG JETS HAVE WON THE STANLEY CUP!”

 

Toews looks back. Sayaka has collapsed, Kane desperately trying to shake her awake. “Hey. YO! YOU OKAY?”

 

Toews runs back. “Fuck. Fuckfuckfuck.”

 

As Toews gets to the scene, Sayaka suddenly breathes in, breathes out, starts breathing normally. “What happened?”

 

“Patrick Kane threw you.” A small, cat like creature sits on top of a trash can.

 

“Whoa, what the fuck is that? Uh, I just threw that rock, man. I didn’t throw her.”

 

“Yeah, what are you talking about?” Toews looks directly at Kyubey.

 

“That was Sayaka Miki’s soul. You just threw it so carelessly. I thought you knew.”

 

“My what?”

 

“That was your soul. If it goes further than 100 meters from your body, you lose control of it.”

 

Sayaka shakes with anger. “What did you do to me?”

 

“I removed your soul from your body to create your soul gem.”

 

Kane turns around and looks skyward. He stomps. “That is so fucked up, bro.”

 

“I… I’m a zombie. I need to go.”

 

Toews grabs her arm, “Miss Miki, wait…”

 

“Let me go.” Sayaka transforms and cuts Toews’s arm with a blade. She runs away.

 

“Dammit, Sayaka, get back here. You okay, Tazer?”

 

“Yeah. We gotta get her back.”

 

“Uh, Tazer, she just cut your arm open.”

 

“We gotta get her back.”

 

“You’re bleeding a lot.”

 

“Dammit, Kaner, we gotta get her back.”

 

“I should really take you to the hospital.”

 

Toews starts walking in the direction Sayaka ran. “You coming?”

 

“Don’t bleed out.”

 

“I’m not going to bleed out.”

 

“You’re going to bleed out.”

 

 

 

Hossa looks at the train station. “Here. Listen, Miss Akemi, tell Crow and Dom that I had to go see to something.”

 

Homura nods. She looks at Andrew Shaw, who has refused to let go of her hand. “Mr. Shaw, you don’t have to hold my hand.”

 

“I don’t want you getting lost.”

 

“I grew up here.”

 

Shaw releases his grip. He walks up to Hossa. “Hey, Hoss, gotta pee or something?” He walks closer, “Cuz if so, I heard that there were octopus monsters in the bathrooms. You should be really, really careful.” Shaw fidgets and shudders, “Like, extremely careful. For reals. Don’t get fucked up by an octopus monster.”

 

Hossa smiles, “I won’t, Shawzy. Thanks for the advice.” Crawford appears from around a corner. “Fuck you’re stupid, Shawzy.”

 

“That was practical advice, Crow. You’re just jealous that you couldn’t give it to Hoss first.”

 

“There aren’t any octopus monsters in Mitakihara City.”

 

“How do you know, Crow? You’ve never been here before. They’re, like, all over Japan.”

 

Crawford shakes his head and throws his hands skyward. “Neither have you, you idiot!”

 

Shaw looks at Homura, “Hey, kid, there’s octopus monsters in Mitakihara City, right?”

 

“No, Mr. Shaw, there are no octopus monsters in Mitakihara City.”

 

“Oh. Okay. Hey, boys, let’s get something to eat. It’s getting late.”

 

 

 

Sayaka’s face is warm. The sides of her head feel like they’re being slowly massaged. She’s shaking. She’s been crying for the last… How long had she actually been here? She’d been sitting on this bench crying for the last several days, it seems. Her thoughts wandered from one moment to the next. Madoka had left shortly before Kane and Toews had had that conversation about her sexuality. Good. Madoka didn’t need to know. In fact, it may have been better if Madoka never knew. Madoka can’t know. Sayaka looked at her soul gem, a dark, murky blue, not dissimilar to polluted water. The darkness swirled around, eating more of the blue, making it duller and duller with each passing moment. Yes. Madoka would never know. Sayaka Miki would die here. All she needed was this gem to darken or for a train to come. Whichever came first. She didn’t care. Footsteps echoed through the empty station, happy humming followed them up. Sayaka looked out to her left to see a man dressed in plain slacks and a plain jacket walking up the stairs, walking toward her. The happy blond man sat next to her on the bench. He smiled. “Hello. Lovely weather we’re having, isn’t it?””

 

Sayaka looks back down. “Yeah, I guess.” She shifts slightly, inching closer to the man. “I haven’t really noticed.” Sayaka’s breath hitches, she holds herself in tight. She desperately needs to hold herself together with this man sitting here.

 

“Yes. It’s lovely. By the way, my name is Marian. May I ask yours?” The man looks at Sayaka, deep, soulful greenish blue eyes boring right into her. His gaze felt warm.

 

“Sayaka. My name is Sayaka.”

 

Hossa winks, “That’s a lovely name for a lovely girl. God, it’s just been a great day, hasn’t it?”

 

“No. It hasn’t.”

 

“Oh?” Hossa’s smile fades, he was waiting for the event that drew him here, but this girl was in some kind of peril. “Why not? What’s wrong?”

 

Sayaka couldn’t believe herself. Despite her efforts to hold herself inside, she couldn’t resist her instincts screaming at her to pour her soul out to this man. She starts speaking at a mile a minute. “This guy, Kyosuke, is going out with another girl. I thought, since we’d been friends for a long time and since I’d visited him in the hospital every day, that he would want to go out with me. Then, another amazing, really hot guy just appears out of nowhere and, wouldn’t you know, has to stay at my house. I really thought we were gonna hit it off but he was never into me in the first place. Then, I became a magical girl. I got to be a hero, just like I always wanted to be, and it turns out that I suck at it. And it turns out that none of that stuff mattered anyway because… Because…”

 

Hossa shushes her. “That’s more than enough. Now, I know a thing or two about magical girls. Where’s your artifact?”

 

“Artifact?”

 

“Yes, the catalyst that your power originates from.”

 

Sayaka shows Hossa her soul gem. “Here, Marian. It’s here.”

 

Hossa gently cradles the soul gem in his hands. “Oh my.”

 

“That’s my soul. I’m a zombie now.”

 

“Zombie? Oh my, not a zombie”

 

“Yes. I’m a monster, a zombie. I’m disgusting.”

 

Hossa shushes her again. “That’s enough. I can prove to you that you’re not a zombie, or a monster, or anything but a girl. Give me your hand.”

 

Sayaka surrenders her hand. Hossa takes it and puts it up to his chest. “Feel anything?” Sayaka can feel a slow, rhythmic, powerful thumping. “Yeah, I can. It’s a heartbeat.” Hossa smiles. “Very good. Now, if you put that up to your own chest, what do you feel?” Sayaka’s hand rests on her own chest, she can feel the same thumping, faster, fainter, but still there. “My heartbeat. Marian, I don’t see what this has to do-” Hossa holds his finger up, “Zombies don’t have heartbeats. Monsters don’t have souls. You are the same girl that you were before you became a hero. You simply have more responsibilities now. They’re weighing on your mind.”

 

“So what about these men… I mean…”

 

“What about them? You’re not thinking about them right now, are you?”

 

“Kinda, yeah.” Sayaka looks down and away.

 

“Ah, youth. Although I’m not supposed to say, let me let you in on a secret. There is someone for you. Believe me, there is. They’ve been right under your nose all along.”

 

“Marian, who are you? What are you?”

 

“A man waiting for a train.” Hossa smiles. “You should go home. I have a feeling that someone I know is going to arrive here shortly.”

 

Sayaka rushes forward, in a flash she is hugging Hossa tightly, openly weeping into his chest. Hossa, in the confusion, takes out a grief seed he stole from Dominik Hasek, placing it against Sayaka’s soul gem.  “You will be all right. Everything will be all right in time.” Hossa returns the embrace, hugging Sayaka’s head tight as a father would. “Take all the time you need. Let it all out.” Sayaka drops to her knees. Hossa follows her down. “It’s okay.” The clock reads 11:36  Sayaka finishes crying, the clock reads 2:36. “I hadn’t imagined you would take that much time.” Sayaka looks up and smiles at Hossa. “Yeah, I guess I’m all cried out now. Marian, who is that person for me?”

 

“Someone close.” Hossa frowns, he then points thoughtfully at Sayaka, “I will stay with you until my friend arrives. It is bad for a girl, even a magical girl such as yourself, to be in the middle of town at half past two in the morning. Cities are dangerous this time of night.”

 

“Sayaka? You in here? I’m not mad, I swear. Listen, Tazer’s okay.” A deep voice breaks the silence. Sayaka is sound asleep, leaning against Hossa. Hossa, for his part, is keeping watch, ready to ward off anything that would wish this young girl harm. He looks down, “My eldest daughter will be like you someday. She’s ten now. It is good that I got this practice.” Hossa tousles his companion’s short blue hair fondly. “Her hair is much longer, though.” He pauses, “And it isn’t blue, either. It’s sort of like mine.” Hossa looks at the clock, 3:25, “God, I’m bored.” Hossa hears footsteps up the stairs, Sayaka stirs. Another voice. “Do you think she’s okay? I can’t handle…” “I’m sure she’s okay.” The response is in the same deep voice from earlier. Hossa’s eyes widen. _Is that…_  

 

A man emerges at the top of the staircase. “Hoss? Hoss, what are you doing here?” Another figure emerges behind the curly haired man. She’s short, wearing pigtails, and obviously exhausted. Her posture is terrible. She’s haunched forward. Bags have formed under her glazed over pink eyes. She perks up immediately. “Sayaka? Sayaka! Oh my God.” Madoka Kaname rushes over to her best friend, immediately taking her hands in her own. Sayaka’s eyelids half open, revealing the sleepy blue eyes within. “Ma… Madoka? I’m okay, Madoka.”

 

The pink haired girl embraces her friend, openly sobbing. “They told me… Don’t ever do that again, you hear me? I can’t… I thought I lost you forever.”

 

Sayaka snaps Madoka’s bra. An inappropriate response, to be sure, but it got a small laugh out of the girl. “Well, you didn’t. So quit crying, okay? I’m still right here, right where I’ve always been. Right next to you. You and me, with my brains and brawn and guts and you just standing there and being cute, we’ll take the whole world.”

 

Madoka laughs harder. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say that Mr. Kane here made the entire story about you up. Don’t ever do that again, okay Sayaka?”

 

“Since when did you think you could boss me around, little miss Kaname?”

 

Sayaka reaches to tickle Madoka, the pink haired girl squeals. Patrick Kane turns around and groans, an obvious sign of displeasure. “Can we wrap up the slumber party? Tazer’s still worried sick, his cut’s probably infected, Hoss is here so I know shit’s hit the fan, and I’M NOT DRUNK ON A SATURDAY!”

 

“Patrick, relax. Let’s take these girls home. I’m here to help with the problem that’s hitting this city in the next few days.”

 

“Does that mean Crow’s here?”

 

“Yep.”

 

“Who else?”

 

“Shawzy, the girl and Dom.”

 

“Dom? Do you mean Hasek?”

 

“Yes, Patrick, I do.”

 

“Fuck me, shit’s about to get real.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let us pray.
> 
> Our God who art in Chi-town, Hossa be thy name...


	11. When You’re Dancing Slowly Biting Your Sleeve

Andrew Shaw is stumbling drunkenly through Mitakihara City, toward the train station where he last saw Marian Hossa. Homura is following close behind, making sure he doesn’t fall. “Mr. Shaw, are you sure he’s still here? It’s really late.”

 

“Yep. Hoss is going to be in here.” Shaw continues forward. Crawford and Hasek went to hunt witches together earlier. “He’s always where you left him last. He’s cool like that.”

 

“For reals?” Homura giggles.

 

“For. Reals.” Shaw stumbles up the stairs. He walks into the train station. “HOSS! I’M DRUNK! HELP ME! DID THE OCTOPI GET YOU, HOSS? YOU PROMISED MEEEEEEEE! HOSS! HOSS, ANSWER ME!”

 

“Shawzy, keep your voice down. We can hear you.”

 

“Kaner? Kaner, what the fuck are you doing here?”

 

“Not drinking, that much is obvious.”

 

Shaw opens his backpack. “I got your back, Kaner.” He pulls out several tall boys. “Drink up, motherfucker! Let’s go! I’ll drink you under the table with a handicap.” Shaw hands a tall boy to Kane and then another and then another and then a fourth. “C’mon, pussy!” He sways to his left. “I know you want to.”

 

“Gimme a second.” Kaner starts double fisting beers. “I fucking love you, Shawzy.” Kane finishes drinking. Four beers obliterated in less than a minute. “Wait, we gotta go get Tazer. And you,” he points at Sayaka, “You need to apologize. That was fucked.”

 

“I’m sorry…”

 

“Not to me, come on, let’s go. Tazer needs that apology.”

 

“Mr. Kane, please stop. Sayaka has been through a lot. She… Leave her alone.” Madoka steps between her friend and the drunk hockey star.

 

Kane downs his fifth tall boy. “Hey, we gotta be responsible for our own actions, cutie. Well, except for me. I don’t gotta be responsible for shit.”

 

“Leave her alone or else.”

 

“Or else what?”

 

“Or I’ll… I, um…”

 

“God, you’re cute. Call me in a few years, won’tcha? I’ll show you a—” Kane immediately drops to the floor, standing above him is Sayaka. Shaw immediately grabs the collar of her shirt, cocking his fist back. “You wanna fuckin’ go, chickenshit?”

 

“Bring it. I’ll fuck you up!” Sayaka grabs Shaw, ready to fight. “If that creep touches Madoka, I’ll rip his dick off.”

 

“You cheapshot Kaner again, you’ll be eating through a straw.”

 

She shoves him, “Let’s go then, tough guy.”

 

Madoka steps between the fighters “Please stop. Stop it! Sayaka, please.”

 

Hossa grabs Shaw, “Let it go, Shawzy. Kaner probably deserved that one.”

 

“Mr. Shaw, please don’t fight Miss Miki. She’s important to us.”

 

“Homura? Oh, yeah, that’s right, you followed me here. Uh, why shouldn’t I knock this blue haired cheapshot artist to the ground?”

 

“Because Sayaka Miki is alive, this is unprecedented.”

 

“How do you know my name?”

 

“I’ve relived this same month hundreds of times. I know just about everything about you. And of course you, Madoka Kaname.”

 

Madoka backs up. “What do you mean?”

 

Sayaka steps between her best friend and this strange woman. “I’ll take you down if you even look at Madoka. You got me?”

 

“If we were to fight, Miss Miki, I would win handily. You cannot possibly defeat me. You’ve tried before.”

 

“Miss Miki, knock it off. I told you not to throw yourself away. Yet here you are, trying to throw yourself away again and again. Even grinders have to pick their spots.” A figure staggers up the steps, clutching his arm. Jonathan Toews has arrived, being helped up by both of his magical girl companions.

 

 _This is what I came for, right?_ Marian Hossa can’t tear his gaze away from Kyoko Sakura. He feels her energy radiating through the air. _This is why I’m here. She’s suffering._ “Tazer, what happened to your arm?”

 

“A misunderstanding. Don’t worry about it. I’ll take Miss Miki and Miss Kaname home. The rest of you should figure out what you’re going to do.”

 

“I’m coming with you, captain.” Andrew Shaw notices the bandage on Toews’s arm.

 

“Okay, Shawzy. I guess we can be roommates.”

 

Homura grabs Shaw’s sleeve. “That won’t be necessary. You can stay with me, Mr. Shaw.”

 

“Hey, I really appreciate it, kid. But I gotta protect my captain. Maybe you can lay Crow, Dom and Hoss up. They need a place.”

 

Hossa stands up and walks towards Kyoko, “I have a place set up. It’s a hotel at the edge of town.”

 

“Hoss, I really hate when you know something and won’t let anyone else in on it.”

 

 

 

Crawford and Hasek are giggling like schoolgirls in an alley. Their third witch of the night has been defeated. “Just like old times, teacher. It’s too bad these aren’t bucks, or we could have them stuffed and mounted.”

 

Hasek throws his head back and laughs uproariously, “Is that so, Corey? We’ll get a mount, put the grief seeds right in the middle. We’ll kill and stuff the Incubator, too.”

 

“Let me get my shotgun. It’d be over quick.” Crawford pulls out a bottle of vodka and a couple of shot glasses. “Let’s drink to a successful hunt!”

 

The men revel, “Let’s get all the drinking out of the way. For in three days, we die. At least, if Miss Akemi’s not telling a fisherman’s tale.” Hasek smiles.

 

“The fish gets bigger every time, I bet. It’s probably just a standard witch she doesn’t match up well against.”

 

“We’ll get it. To hell with the rest of them. A toast! To Marian Hossa’s stupid ass for not joining… the ASS!”

 

Crawford breaks down laughing. “I’ll drink to that. Here’s to you, you stupid Slovak bastard.”

 

Suddenly, the mood breaks in the alley. While both men are on their sixth shot, a presence puts a sense of dread in them, as if they could feel their very beings being tugged away at the seams. Their emotional weak points were being whittled away at. Crawford looks up. “We may have started drinking too early, teacher. I’m already a bit tipsy, I don’t mind telling you.”

 

“Me too, Corey. This witch is gonna get its trophies tonight. Oh, well, I always knew I’d die drunk. Pour me another.”

 

The men are surrounded by familiars, they transform, shaky on their own legs. “You were always a lightweight, teacher.” Hasek falls down, scrambling to his feet again and again is met with the same result. He falls. Crawford finally lifts him up. The familiars, small creatures that resemble wolves, advance cautiously. Hasek begins to swing his stick, Crawford does the same. They bat away at the familiars but are being cut off from one another as they do. Suddenly, Crawford sees a flash in front of his face, the familiar that was about to bite his nose clean off is suddenly gone. The familiars all lie dead, the barrier dissipates. “Mr. Crawford, Mr. Hasek, I’d be honored if such accomplished magic users would stay with me tonight.” Homura stands before them, “Of course, unless you already have other arrangements.”

 

Hasek claps Homura on the shoulder, “Want a drink?”

 

 

 

“Shawzy, Sayaka, play nice, or you’ll both have to answer to me.” Jonathan Toews scolds both of his companions. “Now, if you would be nice, I’m sure you’d find that you have much in common.” Sayaka steps closer to Shaw, offering her hand in a sign of friendship. She smiles. Shaw grabs the hand, shaking it. “Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Andrew Shaw.” Sayaka’s smile widens. “I’m Sayaka Miki.” Shaw’s eyes light up. “Hey, Tazer, you got your gear, right?” Toews nods. “Sweet. Uh, Sayaka, right? You wanna locker box later?”

 

The four arrive at Sayaka’s house. “Um, Sayaka, I already told my parents that I was staying over with you tonight. So can I stay over?” Madoka drags her foot against the pavement nervously.

 

“You kidding? Of course.”

 

The four walk inside. Toews immediately grabs his bag and pulls out his helmet and gloves. “Miss Miki, put these on.” Sayaka does so, turning up her nose at the smell coming from the gloves. She manages not to retch. Shaw happily puts on his helmet and gloves, raising his hands. Toews reminds the participants of the rules. “Okay, so punches to the head only. No body shots. If you back down, you’re a pussy. LET’S GO!” He claps his hands together.

 

The two go at it. Shaw gets the advantage early, cold cocking Sayaka with a right to the chin. She counters with a series of lefts. Shaw fires a left and misses, Sayaka claps him with a right cross to the face. The two continue throwing punches. A small smile crosses Sayaka’s face as she fights, she can see the massive, dopey grin on Shaw’s. Finally, after a long session, Toews steps between the fighters. “Okay, save some for the witches. Good fight, good fight.”

 

“Who won?” Sayaka looks at Toews, face full of expectation.

 

“Make the call, captain.” Shaw’s face lights up, expecting his name to be called.

 

“Miss Kaname won. She didn’t locker box. You’re both idiots.”

 

Shaw shoves Toews, “You suck, captain.”

 

“Yeah, I know I do.”

 

 

 

Mami Tomoe’s head is light, she can’t believe that someone, a boy no less, will be staying at her house and that she had to drive him to her apartment without a license. He was very, very drunk. That much was obvious. He had resigned  himself to looking at her breasts, asking her age and cussing when she replied “fifteen.” She walked him up the stairs, into her bedroom, and laid him down. He stood up. “No, no, fuck that. You’re too young. I don’t care what your boobs have to say. They’re liars. You stuff your bra. Fucking lying boobs. Lying girl trying to get some of mini Patrick. Well it ain’t gonna happen. I ain’t no pervert.”

 

“Mr. … Mr. Kane, I don’t stuff my bra.” Mami looks to her left, trying not to focus on the man rising from her bed, “I never have. I’m natural.”

 

“Fuckin’ early bloomers. I’m still not tired.”

 

“Mr. Kane, it’s 4 in the morning.” Mami sighs deeply, “But I can make you some tea if you wish, I can even offer some sweets.” _In more ways than one, Mr. Kane._  

 

“Sounds good. Let’s get some tea, I guess. Hey, you got beer?” Kane notices Mami’s stare, “It was worth the ask.”

 

Mami disappears into her room, returning in what Kane can only assume is her first set of lingerie. “Miss… Uh… What was your name again?”

 

“Mami.”

 

“Uh, Mami, I got no plans to rail you tonight. Even if I did, I got drunk dick. So would you go put some clothes on?”

 

“Are you sure, Mr. Kane? You could…” Kane spaces out, he’s pretty sure she’s talking about flowers and sweets and other shit that isn’t turning him on. He’s not sure, he’s not really paying attention. He’s just drinking another of the beers he brought with him. He was slowly working his way through his 30 rack. He’d need more tomorrow. Was she still talking? “… so come and get it, mystery man. I want to feel…” Holy shit, she was still talking. If she were at least eighteen, then yeah, Kane could see it. But she wasn’t. She didn’t know what she was getting herself into. “Mami, would you do me a favor and shut up? And put some clothes on? And give me a sheet so I can sleep on this couch? I’m not DTF, I will not be DTF until you turn eighteen. When you turn eighteen, give me a call. Until then, the answer is no.”

 

“Okay, Mr. Kane. I see.” Mami grabbed a spare sheet and threw it at Kane, she went to bed. No need to change, she was going to sleep in her lingerie. She needed to put her tea set back. She walked out into the main area. There was Kane, lying with the sheet mostly kicked off, wearing nothing but a pair of boxer briefs. He was snoring loudly. Mami imagined he’d look like this. He was strong, muscular, he looked like he could grind meat on his abs. Oh, to… Focus. Mami needed to focus. She was just putting her tea set away. She admired Kane’s body some more. “Alright, ladies, yer about to learn why they call me Saucy Mitts.” Mami looks over, Kane is still sound asleep. “My least favorite color? What color underwear are you wearing, baby?” Mami looks over, Kane is still sound asleep. Does he often have lewd dreams like that? “Hey! Tazer! More beer! Get some for Sharpie while you’re at it. I ain’t drunk his ass under the table yet.” Mami tried something, she got close and whispered in Kane’s ear. “Sure thing…” She thought back to what Toews would call him, “Kaner.” Kane’s eyes fluttered open, he looked desperately around the room. In an instant, Mami had grabbed some pieces of her tea set, “Sorry, I didn’t man to wake you, I was just putting away my tea set. Please, Mr. Kane, go back to sleep.” Kane closed his eyes, muttering to himself. Mami breathed a sigh of relief, grabbed her tea set, washed it, put it away, and went to bed.

 

 

 

“You stay here?” Marian Hossa walked with Kyoko to the hotel at the edge of town. “Yeah, the owner lets me stay in the attic.” Hossa’s thoughts raced. He sent out a feeler, something in his gut told him that there was some problem with her home life. “Isn’t your family worried? I mean, if my daughter were staying in the attic at some run down hotel, I would be sick with worry.” Kyoko looks away, Hossa can  see the sidewalk she passes staining with water. “Miss, please don’t cry, I’m sorry.”

 

“I don’t have a family anymore. I don’t have a home. All I have is this…” she takes out her soul gem, “this thing. That’s it.”

 

Hossa puts a hand on her shoulder, “It must be tough, going it alone like this.”

 

“I don’t need anybody else. I gave up on people a long time ago.”

 

“That’s bleak, Miss…”

 

Kyoko senses, after a short pause, that she’s supposed to give this guy her name. “Kyoko. Kyoko Sakura.”

 

“Ah, Kyoko. You girls have such beautiful names. My name is Marian.”

 

“Marian what?”

 

“Marian Hossa. My name is Marian Hossa.”

 

“Okay, Marian Hossa, I don’t need a friend, so you can drop the nice act. That blue haired bitch may have needed a shoulder to cry on, but I don’t.”

 

“I don’t think I believe you. You’re putting on this tough exterior because you believe that you need it. It’s okay to cry, Miss Sakura, you don’t have to be so jaded.”

 

“What would you know about what I’ve been through?”

 

Hossa closes his eyes, he feels the aura around Kyoko. He draws it in, tasting her experiences. “Your father was a preacher. His sermons weren’t in line with dominant Christian doctrine. He was shunned. Your family was poor, you made a wish, a contract for people to listen to your father…

 

“STOP!” Kyoko’s eyes are dotted with tears, she has transformed and drawn her spear. “You need to shut up. You’re a witch. No, worse, you’re a demon. I’ll kill you.”

 

“I’m sorry.” Hossa gets into a fighting stance to defend himself. “Please don’t make me fight you.”

 

Kyoko rushes, swinging wildly. Her poise has shattered, all that remains is hurt. If she swings hard enough, maybe the hurt will stop. That’s at least what she tells herself. Hossa dodges again and again, he starts his counterattack. He grabs the shaft of Kyoko’s spear and pulls, he puts his leg in front of her to trip her, Kyoko goes down. She gets up and swings again, Hossa grabs the spear’s shaft again, puts his shoulder into her chest and pulls. He throws the spear away. Kyoko conjures another spear and throws it. She does this several more times, trying to puncture Hossa, trying to kill the demon. She wanted him to die. Kyoko threw everything she had at Hossa, she finally got his arm. The wound suddenly healed. She stabbed him through the gut with a spear as Hossa was focusing on healing himself. He snaps the spear in half, healing himself again. “Miss Sakura,” he grabs Kyoko by the throat, lifting her, “please stop. I don’t wish to hurt you.” She rears back and plants both of her feet into his chest. “SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUP!” Kyoko starts swinging wildly again. Hossa couldn’t keep up like this. This girl was powerful. She suddenly stopped. ”Miss Sakura, are you all right?” Kyoko dropped to her knees, her soul gem a murky, brownish red. “I… What is this?”

 

Hossa walks up to her, “Let me see that.” He takes the soul gem, closing his hands around it. “Now, I’m not sure if this will work, but maybe my restorative powers will work on your soul gem.” Hossa winces and then cries out in pain as a light emanates from between his hands. He opens them, revealing Kyoko’s soul gem, good as new. “Didn’t that hurt?”

 

“Yes, of course it did. Altruism is supposed to hurt, Miss Sakura. That’s what makes it altruistic.” Hossa stands up, “You would do well to remember that. Now, Miss Sakura, let’s go to this hotel. You may stay with me in the master suite.”

 

 

 

“I gotta take a walk.” Two voices speak these words at the same time in the same area of the city. Patrick Kane throws on whatever clothes he can dig out of his bag. Mismatching socks, cheap loafers, jeans and a wrinkled shirt are the first things he can grab. He throws them on haphazardly and walks outside. Mami, still in her lingerie, attempts to convince him to stay. Mitakihara City is dangerous this late at night. Kane is out the door before she can get a complete sentence out. Sayaka Miki, too lazy to change out of her pajamas throws on some gray sweats. The hoodie advertises some soccer camp that she attended last summer. She liked soccer. She was fast, muscular and extremely athletic. Perfect for the sport. That didn’t really matter now, though. She just wanted to take a walk. Jonathan Toews stood at the door. “Miss Miki, it’s late. You shouldn’t go outside.” He shifts his weight backwards, leaning against the door. “Out of the way, Mr. Toews. I’ll be back soon, I promise. I just wanted to take a walk.” Toews relents. “You have thirty minutes. At that point, I’m going to come look for you. If I find you, you’re going to be in a world of shit.” Sayaka walks out the door, through the main gate, and down the street.

 

Kane wanted to find something, anything to eat. He was hungry as all hell and regretted not eating Mami’s sweets. They probably would have taken the edge off. “There’s gotta be a 24 hour place around here somewhere.” He walks up to a McDonald’s. A memory tried to surface in Kane’s mind but couldn’t quite break through. It sank back into his subconscious. He walked inside, thankful for the fact that this crappy burger joint was open all night. There was a figure in a gray sweatsuit standing in front of the counter, ordering half the store. “Hey, you gonna save some for the rest of us?” The figure looks back. “Mr. Kane, what are you doing here?”

 

Kane orders what he wants, twenty double cheeseburgers, same as Sayaka. “You know, you’re gonna get fat if you eat like I do.”

 

“No I’m not. I’ll be fine.” Sayaka frowns and looks down.

 

“What’s wrong with you?”

 

“Nothing. Mr. Kane, what do you know about attracting girls?”

 

Kane throws his head back and laughs. “Fuckin’ everything, kid. Why?”

 

“Um… Mr. Kane, can you keep a secret?

 

“Depends on the secret.”

 

Sayaka sighs deeply. She clutches her chest. “I… Well, I mean… I… Uh…” 

 

“Spit it out, man.”

 

“I’m in love with Madoka.”

 

Kane smiles, “I don’t know, man. I don’t know if I can keep that on the DL. Awww, shit, my hands are grabbing my phone by themselves. Sayaka, I’m…” Kane shakes dramatically, mock straining. “I’m sorry. I can’t do it.” Kane starts with the crocodile tears. “Please forgive me.”

 

Sayaka’s face turns a deep shade of red, she looks down. “This is serious. You know what?” She stands up. “This was a mistake.”

 

“Cool it, cool it. I was just playing. Just sit down and relax. I’ll help you get that cutie. She’ll be all over you in no time.”

 

Sayaka sits back down. “Okay.”

 

“First thing you gotta do is get up.”

 

Sayaka sighs and gets up. “Okay, now what?”

 

“Follow my lead.” Kane sets his MP3 player on the table. Music kicks in, thumping bass, all the standard R&B instruments kick in. Kane starts stepping back and forth, shaking his hips, raising his arms. He’s dancing like a drunk white kid. “And you gotta sing the lyrics, too.” Sayaka mimics Kane, unsure of herself. Kane sings in time with the lyrics. “When I get you all alone, I’m gonna take off all your clothes. Ain’t nobody gonna interrupt my game, no, no, no.” Kane continues singing the lyrics. They get pushier and more direct as the song continues. Sayaka is blushing deeply. “Kaner, that’s most likely going to frighten Miss Kaname.” Jonathan Toews stands at the door, arms crossed. “Miss Miki, just be yourself. You can’t be Kaner, so asking his advice is worthless. Let’s go.”

 

The three walk back to Sayaka’s place. She walks to her bedroom, where Madoka is sleeping. Andrew Shaw is using the shower, screaming rap lyrics at the top of his voice. “TELL ME TO MY FUCKIN’ FACE THAT YOU READY TO DIE! YOU BE A DEAD MOTHERFUCKER, RED MOTHERFUCKER. DON’T BE STUPID YOU HEARD WHAT I SAID MOTHERFUCKER!” Sayaka shakes her best friend, trying to wake her up. Madoka shifts, “five more minutes…” Sayaka’s head feels light. She almost loses her balance. Shaw’s screaming continues. “RED DOT ON YOUR HEAD CUZ YOUSE IN MID RANGE! RED DOT ON YOUR CHEST **OPENS UP YOUR RIB CAGE!** ” She shakes Madoka again. “Madoka, wake up.” The girl opens her eyes, her hair in them. She blinks. “Sayaka? Are you all right? What’s with that screaming?” Shaw’s screaming continues. “I’M BOUT TO FIND OUT HOW MUCH GUTS YOU GOT BEFORE I SPILL EM. SOMEBODY COME AND GET THIS MOTHERFUCKER BEFORE I KILL HIM!” ”That’s Mr. Shaw. He really likes rap music, I guess.” Sayaka takes a deep breath. “Anyway, Madoka, I… I need to tell you something.” Madoka sits bolt upright. “What is it? Are you okay?” “911, EMERGENCY, THE URGENCY, WITNESSES ABOUT TO SEE WHAT THE SURGEON SEES!” Sayaka holds up a finger. She forcefully opens the bathroom door. “Yo. Close the door, man.” Madoka can only hear the events transpiring in the bathroom. She hears a crash. “Would you shut up, Mr. Shaw? I’m trying to have a conversation.” Sayaka walks back into the room, closing the bathroom door behind her. “Sorry, Madoka. I… Um… I always really liked you. I mean, you’re so cute, and you’re really nice, and you’re just such a great person…” Madoka’s face turns a deep shade of red. “I really like you too, Sayaka. You’re my best friend.” Sayaka looks down, she’s hyperventilating. “What I’m trying to say is that… That…” Sayaka grabs on to her end table, she can feel the blood rushing away from her head. She knows it’s now or later when she regains consciousness. “I love you. Please be my girlfriend.” Madoka trembles. “I… Yes. I’ll be your girlfriend.” She smiles her innocent smile. Sounds can be heard from the next room. “FUCKIN’ RIGHT! FUCKIN’ GET IT!” Shaw walks out of the bathroom, wearing nothing but a towel. “I think you may have some spectators. Act natural.” Madoka and Sayaka continue with their conversation, trying to figure out what it is that girlfriends do and what you’re supposed to do with your girlfriend. Shaw opens the door, finding Toews and Kane huddled around. “How’s it going, boys?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I seriously just ship MadoSaya? Please, I beg of you, do not hurt my family, they had nothing to do with this.
> 
> The memory in Kaner's mind? The Second Bakery Attack by Haruki Murakami!


	12. The Boys Get Lonely After You Leave

“I have to wonder. Excuse my asking, but how long have you been magic users?” Homura looks to Crawford, then to Hasek, back to Crawford. Hasek speaks up. “I’ve been a magical man since I was ten. That was back in Czechoslovakia.” Homura interjects. “Czechoslovakia?” “Yes. The Czech Republic and Slovakia were once one nation. That was the case when I was a boy. I was a young hockey player then. I wished to be the greatest goalie of all time. It was a dumb wish, I admit, but a boy age ten doesn’t have much in the way of aspirations. Anyway, I started fighting witches all across the Soviet Bloc. I’m sorry, I’m boring you.” Homura shakes her head. “No, not at all, Mr. Hasek. Please continue.” Hasek sighs, “Very well. Corey, you’ve heard this all before, right?” Crawford blinks. “I guess I can suffer through it again, teacher.” Hasek clears his throat. “As a hockey prodigy, I traveled across the Bloc, I took up office as the magic user anywhere I lived. However, I didn’t see too many witches until I hit Chicago. If I had to guess, it would be because many a magical girl behind the Iron Curtain would try to trade her soul gem for food, not understanding the gem’s limitations or she’d be executed by the secret police. You see, the Soviet Union knew the danger of witches and that magical girls one day would become witches, any magic user would be put to death. I had to be very careful. When I initially escaped to Chicago, I immediately positioned myself as the protector of the area around Chicago Stadium. Witches were common there. Many girls would succumb to despair right there, on the concourse. The Tribune covered it as a ‘series of bizarre murders that left no marks on their victims’. I fought and killed many witches. Eventually I would move to Buffalo where I met my first disciple.” Homura smiles. “What was she like?” Hasek clutches something on his upper chest. “I do not wish to talk about her. She was a good girl. That’s all you need to know.”

 

“Fair enough. When did you meet Mr. Crawford?”

 

“I met Corey when he was a kid in Montreal…”

 

“Teacher, I was fourteen. I saw Dom’s soul gem in ring form as he took his blocker off in a game against the Habs at the new Molson Centre. I had been a magic user for a few years at that point. Me and this girl split the town. I got everything on one side of the old Forum, she got everything on the other. If a witch threatened the Forum, we fought it together. Jeanne was a bitch, but she was a damn good fighter and she would sooner die than let any harm come to the Montreal Forum. She still defends Montreal to this day. Anyway, I confronted Dom. He thought I was a kid looking for an autograph. I pull him in close and say ‘You’re a magical girl, aren’t you?’ He says ‘Magical man. Meet me out back.’ I had to travel to learn from him in the offseason, but I always did. Dom taught me every technique he knew, he taught me how to conserve magic, he taught me how to keep my soul gem protected at all times and he taught me the secret to instantaneous reflexes. However, I still haven’t mastered them outside my magical form.”

 

“Give it time, Corey.” Hasek smiles. “You might suddenly understand it one day. Probably not, but it doesn’t hurt to dream.”

 

“How about you, Homura?” Hasek shifts in his seat, looking up at the pendulum above him. “And what’s with the pendulum?”

 

“I like the pendulum. As for why I became a magical girl, I wanted to protect Madoka. I wanted her to be alive and happy.”

 

Crawford smirks. “And yours. Don’t forget yours.” Homura stares daggers at Crawford. “I’m just calling it like I read it, Homura. It was hilarious walking back with you. You started thinking about Madoka. You thought about kissing her. Not on the mouth either…”

 

“Shut up. Those thoughts are private.”

 

“Your secret’s safe with me, Homura. But what if Madoka didn’t want to be yours?”

 

“I guess I haven’t thought about that. As long as it weren’t that damn Sayaka Miki, I guess I’d be fine with it.”

 

Hasek tilts his head to the side. “Which one was that? Who’s Madoka? Who’s Sayaka Miki? Don’t throw names at me.”

 

“Madoka was the short one. Sayaka was… Let’s see… She was…” Crawford smiles a knowing smile.

 

Homura speaks up. “She was the bitchy one who tried to fight Mr. Shaw.”

 

Crawford claps his hands together, “And the claws come out.”

 

“Huh. Homura, can she fight?”

 

“She’s very new, Mr. Hasek. Why do you ask?”

 

“She needs to be less new. Corey, call up Marian, Kane and your captain. We’re gonna have a good old punch up in Piestany. She’s going to fight someone of your choice. We’ll coach each of them. Loser has to buy the winner a bottle of the alcohol of his choice.” Hasek extends his hand. “Deal?”

 

“You got it teacher. I’ll take the redhead one. She looks like she has a lot of fight in her.”

 

 

 

Crawford takes off toward Hossa’s hotel. He knocks on the master suite’s door. “Hoss. Open up. I need to borrow your friend.” The door opens, a girl with wild red hair stands there. She rubs her eyes. Crawford smirks. “You normally sleep naked, Madame President?”

 

“Madame President?” Kyoko cocks her head to the side.

 

“Yeah, president of the itty bitty titty committee.” Crawford transforms, Kyoko has already transformed and launched herself at him. “Who put you up to this? I’ll kill them next.” Crawford disarms her and puts his stick up to her soul gem in an instant. “Good. Feisty. I like it. You’re going to help me win some very expensive wine.” Someone walks downstairs from the attic. “What’s going on?” Marian Hossa, dressed in his boxers, walks down the staircase. “Oh, hey Corey. How are you today?”

 

“Good, Hoss. Why was the girl naked?”

 

“I don’t know. I gave her the suite, though. I slept in the attic. Her state of undress is of monumental non importance to me.”

 

“Okay, so kid, put some clothes on and follow me.”

 

“I have a name, you know.”

 

“Okay.”

 

Kyoko sighs. “It’s Kyoko.”

 

“Cool. Follow me. Hey, Hoss, get the boys together. We got two days.”

 

 

 

The arena was set, an open field where Madoka used to play when she was a little girl. Crawford, Mami, Kane and Homura followed Kyoko. They would be her corner. Madoka, Toews, Shaw and Hasek followed Sayaka. They were in her corner. Hossa inserted himself as referee of this little sparring session. “Okay, simple enough, right? Just do your best. Dom has plenty of grief seeds, so don’t hesitate to go all out. Just don’t go attempting killing blows. I don’t think I can heal those up. Now, go back to your corners and come out swinging.”

 

Crawford sets out a stool for Kyoko to sit on. “All right, she’s easy pickings. Just keep her under pressure and don’t let up. I’ll let you have some of the wine if you finish her quickly.”

 

Kyoko smiles. “I’d prefer sake if it’s all the same to you.”

 

Homura is sulking behind the rest of the group.

 

“You okay?” Kane claps her on the shoulder

 

“Mr. Shaw chose her side. As did Madoka.” Homura looks down. Sulking further.

 

“You could’ve gone over there. Tazer was more than willing to come over here.”

 

“That’s not the point, Mr. Kane.”

 

“For fuck’s sake. She doesn’t know you.” Crawford briefly considers whipping Homura’s ass.

 

Kyubey sits behind Madoka. “You know, Sayaka Miki has very little potential as a magical girl. It’s not too late to change sides, Madoka Kaname.”

 

Hossa chuckles. “Potential? It’s magic. They both have limitless potential. Since it’s cast from the soul, the key is somewhere in their emotional makeup. For something that grants magical powers, you seem to know very little about it.”

 

“Emotional makeup?” Toews taps Shaw on the shoulder. “Shawzy, give Miss Miki your MP3 player. Put on your hype playlist.” Shaw does as he’s told, wordlessly. “Miss Miki.” Toews smiles and hits play, “Get down with the sickness.” The fighters’ corners back off, Sayaka can hear drums and not much else. She starts nodding her head. She sees Hossa’s hand signal to begin the fight. **_Can you feel that? Aw shit._** The music kicks in. Sayaka lunges, supremely confident. Self-doubt washed away. The music is so loud that she can’t think. She breaks Kyoko’s guard. Kyoko dodges to the left, Sayaka catches her and throws her down. She swings for the fences with her sword. Kyoko narrowly dodges a headhunter. She tries to go on the offensive. **_it seems what’s left of my human side is slowly changing in me, looking in my own reflection when suddenly it changes, violently it changes_** Sayaka counters and plants Kyoko with the hilt of her cutlass. She swings with her left, nearly taking the redhead’s head off. Kyoko tries to regain her footing, Sayaka is immediately on her. Crawford is screaming from the corner. She needs to focus, what’s this guy trying to tell her? “Get some distance. Knee her in the groin and get back. You just gotta last until intermission.” Kyoko knees Sayaka in the groin, then she cross checks her with the shaft of her spear to gain separation. She counters, swinging and catching Sayaka in the arm with her spear. Sayaka stabs her through the gut. **_I know the world is a scary place now that you’ve woken up the demon in me_** Hossa steps in, restraining both magical girls. “Okay, intermission. Go to your corners, get healed up, and come out fighting.” Hossa gives Sayaka Round 1.

 

“Relax, relax. Just breathe. That was a great round.” Shaw hands Sayaka a bottle of water. “We got three rounds, take the next one, too.” Hasek purifies her soul gem. “Sit back a little more, defend. The end of that round was a mess. Stay cautious. A witch like Walpurgisnacht will take your head off if you’re too aggressive.” Madoka hugs her best friend tightly, “You were so cool, Sayaka!” Toews grabs her, peeling her off the fighter. “Let’s save the congratulations for after the fight, yeah? Miss Miki needs to focus.” Hasek slaps Sayaka on the back. “Confident but cautious. Got it? That’s our strategy. Confident but cautious.” She gives him a thumbs up. Shaw slaps her on the thigh. “GO GET IT. THIS IS OUR ROUND!”

 

Homura can’t contain her rage. “What was that? She just buried you. She’s been a magical girl for a few days and she just ran over top of you. That was pathetic.” Crawford steps in, purifying Kyoko’s soul gem. “Listen, you just underestimated her. We’re still okay. Just come out with some realistic expectations, just come out with a little fire. Okay? Let’s see that fire in this round.” Mami steps forward. “You know? Miss Miki probably can’t fight more than one of you, no matter how confident she is. You know what to do.” Kane walks up. “Hey.” Kyoko looks at him. “Showtime.” The arrogant and proud magical girls looks into the eyes of the arrogant and proud hockey star. She nods meaningfully. Kane reiterates, slapping Kyoko on the ass after she stands up. “SHOWTIME!”

 

Hossa claps his hands together. “Let’s go!” Kyoko and Sayaka both charge. Kyoko suddenly cuts to her left. “Rosso Fantasma.” Suddenly, several copies of Kyoko litter the battlefield, charging and dodging. Sayaka swings rapidly, depleting the number of clones. Soon, only the original remains. Kyoko kicks Sayaka in the chest, following it in with a spear strike. She connects, hitting Sayaka’s thigh. Sayaka counters, slicing Kyoko across the face.Kyoko slaps Sayaka with the shaft of her spear, then attacks with the blade. She catches her arm. Sayaka’s wounds heal. She starts attacking, dual wielding cutlasses. Kyoko confidently parries and plants a shoulder into Sayaka’s center mass, sending her back. She swings her spear downward, catching Sayaka in the shoulder. Hossa steps in, Sayaka’s arm doesn’t look great. “That’s it. Intermission. Go back to your corners.”

 

Sayaka whimpers as she clutches her shoulder. Hasek walks up. “Just focus on healing it with magic.” Shaw touches the shoulder. “Ooh, that’s a broken collarbone. And probably a separated shoulder. That’s no good, Dom. I think we have to call…” Suddenly, Sayaka’s shoulder sets, her collarbone heals. “Well, never fucking mind.” Hasek purifies her soul gem. “I told you to be cautious. In a fight with Walpurgisnacht, you’d be dead right now. Listen, the confidence is great, but… Jon.” Toews stands up. “Yeah?” “Take that MP3 player away. She needs to focus.” Sayaka looks up at Hasek in horror. “It’s going to be fine, just be confident in your abilities. The key to your potential is confidence. You could be a mighty magic user as long as you don’t get weighed down by self-doubt. Understand? We’re confident.” She nods. Toews claps her on the shoulder. “You don’t think I wasn’t scared when I took those witches on?” “No.” “God, you’re dumb. I was fucking terrified. Terrors from beyond reality vs. a prairie boy and you don’t think the prairie boy wasn’t at least a little shaken up?” Toews claps her on the shoulder. “You got this.”

 

“That was acceptable, Miss Sakura.” Homura at least acknowledges that Kyoko won the round. “It would’ve been better if you made her surrender.” Crawford steps in. “Just breathe. Don’t let the peanut gallery get you down.” Kyoko takes a deep breath. “Okay, really wish you would’ve used those clones in the first round. We might have taken the fight just there if you did. No problem. We’re gonna win here.” Kane slaps Kyoko on the back. “Showtime.” Kyoko nods. “Yeah, showtime. I think I get it. You don’t gotta go crazy, Corey, Pat, Mami, bitchy emo chick, I got this.” Homura’s eyes go wide. “Bitchy emo chick?” Kane smiles. “Cool it.” 

 

The two charge, looking for the winning blow. Sayaka swings with her right, too close for her cutlass to find its mark, her fist connects with Kyoko’s jaw from the side. Kyoko attacks with the shaft of her spear, cross checking Sayaka on the point of the chin. The two drop at the same time, knocked out. “Ohhhhhh! OHHHHHHHH! HOLY FUCKIN’ SHIT!” Shaw starts jumping up and down like he’s five and it’s Christmas morning. “THAT WAS SO FUCKIN’ COOL!” Hossa looks at both fighters. “Should I count to ten or…” Hasek waves his hand nonchalantly. “Go for it.” Hossa dramatically counts to ten as if he were a professional wrestling referee. Neither girl gets up. “Crow, get the smelling salt.” Homura grabs a bottle of water and dumps it on Kyoko’s head. Kyoko scrambles to her feet, fists raised. “Okay. Let’s go.” Homura stares through her. “The fight is over. Mr. Hossa will tell us who won. You were knocked out.” Toews is restraining a hysterical Madoka. “LET GO OF ME! LET GO! SAYAKA! SAYAKAAAAA!” Toews rolls his eyes, still holding the short girl back. Crawford puts the smelling salt under Sayaka’s nose. She recoils. “Aww, that’s terrible. What happened?” Crawford sighs. “Fight’s over. We’re calling it.”

 

“You both went down. I’m calling this a draw. Now, shake hands, girls.” Sayaka and Kyoko stare at each other. Hossa reiterates, sternly. “Shake. Hands.” Sayaka’s hand goes up, she smiles. Kyoko stares at it, eventually she grins, showing off her overdeveloped canines. “I don’t shake hands.” Sayaka’s face tics. “Why the hell not?” Hossa stares intently at the arrogant magical girl. “Kyoko…” Kyoko leans in. “Because that’s what salarymen do. I’m not into that.” She kisses Sayaka on the cheek, her wolfish grin reclaims her face. “Much better, right?” Sayaka, red in the face, mumbles at the ground. “Can’t hear ya. You really that shaken up?” Sayaka looks up, she slaps Kyoko in the face. Mami immediately ties both girls up in ribbons. Crawford bumps fists with her. She steps forward. “I’m going to leave you both tied up until you can learn to get along. Now apologize, Miss Miki.” Sayaka struggles for a short while, sees that the ribbons only get tighter, and looks at Kyoko. “Sorry for slapping you.” Mami then looks at the redhead, too. “Now apologize for invading Miss Miki’s personal space, Miss Sakura.” Kyoko sighs. “Sorry for… whatever Mami said.” Kane steps away. “Unfuckingreal.”

 

 

 

The crowd starts walking in the same direction. “You coming, Shawzy? Miss Kaname told us that her parents were gonna cook for all of us.” Jonathan Toews clapped his hand on Shaw’s shoulder. “Nah, I’m gonna stay here for a while, Tazer. I’ll catch up with ya.”

 

Madoka walks up to Homura. “Um…”

 

“Yes?” Homura looks down at her.

 

“Um, I’m sorry, I don’t know your name. But you can come for dinner at my house if you want. Any friend of Mr. Toews is a friend of mine!”

 

“My name is Homura Akemi.”

 

“Wow! That name is so cool. Uh, I guess you already know mine, but…”

 

“Just give me directions. I will linger a little longer.”

 

Madoka takes out a notebook, writing directions carefully in pink ink. She tears out the piece of paper and hands it to Homura. She smiles earnestly. She turns to walk away. “I hope I see you there, Miss Akemi!!”

 

“Miss Kaname, wait. Call me Homura, please.”

 

“Okay, Homura.” Madoka takes Homura’s hand in both of hers. “You know, you looked sad earlier. I really hope you show up.” A meaningful silence washes over the area, voices having long trailed off into the distance. Madoka turns around.

 

“Wait. Just a little longer. Did you become a magical girl?”

 

Madoka turns back around. “No. Not yet. Um, Mr. Toews told me it wouldn’t be a good idea.”

 

Homura sighs, she relaxes her shoulders. “Okay. I’ll see you at dinner, Miss Kaname.”

 

“Call me Madoka.” She smiles again.

 

 

 

Shaw walks across the field with Homura. “Listen, kid, sorry for being in the other corner. If it makes you feel better, me and Kaner are friends, too. It doesn’t mean…”

 

“I know, Mr. Shaw. That doesn’t upset me too much. What does is that Madoka did the same.”

 

“Well, they’re best friends. Of course she’d choose her best friend’s corner.”

 

“Mr. Shaw, you don’t understand.”

 

They sit on a bench. “You and Madoka are pretty tight, I take it?”

 

“No. She’s never met me before. At least in this timeline.”

 

“Timeline? Listen, kid. Now that ain’t nice, getting me all worked up, ya know, worried about ya, and then joking around like that, now be serious.”

 

Homura is behind Shaw. “I’m not joking.”

 

“How’d ya get over there?”

 

Homura points at the sprinklers. “See those?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

Homura grabs Shaw’s hand. “Watch.” Suddenly, the world has gone to greyscale, the sprinklers have stopped moving, the streams of water hang in the air. “I can manipulate time, Mr. Shaw.”

 

Shaw looks at her. “So you can. Now what’s this about timelines?”

 

“Magical girls have to make wishes to complete their contract. My wish was to be able to protect Madoka. She saved me a long time ago. It would be only a few weeks ago in your time. But she died in the fight with Walpurgisnacht.” Homura’s eyes well up. “She died protecting me. She died protecting me again and again and again.” Her voice breaks. “I just want her to be alive and happy. She’s so strong. She’s so kind, Mr. Shaw. I know you don’t know her like I do, but it’s the truth. She’s deserved a life outside being a magical girl. She’s deserved to be free of this curse.” Homura looks down, sobbing openly. “Madoka. Madoka, Madoka, Madoka.”

 

Shaw grabs Homura, holding her tight to his chest. He rocks her back and forth. “Damn, kid, you really dumped something heavy on my plate today.” She grabs his shirt, turning her face into his chest. He chuckles. “You’re gonna ruin my shirt, ya know? Crying all over it like that?” He pats her on the head. “You’re good. You’re good. Now, tell me. How many times have you relived this?”

 

“Over a hundred.”

 

He looks at her, he pulls his phone out. “Let me show you something.” He fumbles idiotically through several pages of apps before finding the one he wanted. “Watch this.”

 

Homura stares at the screen intently. She sees a silver trophy. “What’s that?”

 

“The Stanley Cup.”

 

“What does that…”

 

“Just watch.”

 

The video continues, a voice. “Adversity doesn’t build as much character as it reveals, and the Avalanche have revealed masses of character.” A short, ugly man starts prattling on, congratulating everyone on the planet. Homura tunes in while the ugly man finishes up. The ugly man speaks, “There’s one player who has waited a long time to hoist this.  Joe Sakic, come get the Cup so he and the rest of your teammates can hoist.” A man in a red and blue hockey uniform a stylized A that resembles a ski slope as its crest, grabs the trophy, immediately handing it to a much older looking man in the same uniform. A voice, different from the first two, comments. “And after twenty-two years,” The man raises the trophy high above his head, “RAYMOND BOURQUE!” The man openly weeps, lifting the trophy up and down above his head over and over again. Homura watches intently. “I see…”

 

“Listen, kid, I can’t promise you twenty thousand screaming fans or a big shiny trophy, but I can promise that after this long a time, we’ll save her. No matter what. I don’t care if it kills me.”

 

“Mr. Shaw, it won’t come to that.”

 

Shaw looks at Homura, fire in his eyes. “I promise. This is your last time through.”

 

“Thank you, Mr. Shaw.”

 

 

 

Kane and Madoka lag slightly behind the rest of the group. “Mr. Kane, um, I have a question.”

 

“Fire away.”

 

“That other girl kissed Sayaka. What am I supposed to do?”

 

Kane bursts out laughing. “You can’t be serious.”

 

Madoka pouts. “I am serious. What if Sayaka falls for that other girl?”

 

“Oh man, you oughta listen to yourself. Okay, okay, a’ight.” Kane regains his composure. “Do something spontaneous. It works in romance flicks, right?”

 

“Like what?”

 

“If I told you what to do, it wouldn’t be spontaneous.”

 

 

 

Sayaka, Kyoko and Mami walk close together, Crawford lagging slightly behind. “Um, Kyoko, right? Why did you kiss me?”

 

“I felt like it.”

 

“I’m already with someone. You did that right in front of them.”

 

“Can’t you take a joke?”

 

Mami steps in-between the bickering girls. ”Let’s not fight. This is a time to be happy. We’re going to have a nice dinner, hopefully a sleepover, and then a huge party after we defeat Walpurgisnacht.”

 

“Whatever you say, Mami.” Kyoko takes a box of pocky out of her pocket. She starts rapidly eating it.

 

“You’ll spoil your appetite if you eat shitty food like that.” Sayaka shoots a look at Kyoko.

 

“What are you, the food police?”

 

Sayaka grabs the pocky. “Yes, I’m the food police. Now quit eating shitty food.”

 

“I’ll eat whatever I want.”

 

“Madoka’s family is being nice enough to cook for you, a girl they don’t even know, so the least you can do is show some respect for that and not shove pocky down your throat. Besides, isn’t food like that supposed to go to your boobs? Did your metabolism mess up or something?”

 

“What are you saying?”

 

“I’m saying you’re rude, stupid, have shitty eating habits and, to top it all off, you’re flat-chested.”

 

“Why’re you staring at my boobs?” Kyoko crosses her arms over her chest.

 

“Nothing to stare at!” Sayaka throws her hands in the air.

 

Mami and Crawford step between them. “So, great weather, yeah?” Crawford starts up a conversation.

 

Mami looks up in mock wonder. “Indeed it is, such lovely weather we’re having.”

 

“Yeah. it’s actually been kinda mild.” Crawford puts Sayaka in a headlock.

 

“Oh, indeed. I think it’s going to rain tonight, though.” Mami grabs Kyoko’s arms, ties her hands together, and escorts her.

 

“Yes it is. Too bad, I was enjoying this run of nice weather.” Crawford uses a pair of zip cuffs on Sayaka.

 

Crawford and Mami speak in unison. “Now play nice.”

 

“Why do you have zip cuffs?” Mami asks Crawford a short while later.

 

“Don’t you worry why I have zip cuffs.”

 

They walk a little while longer, keeping their belligerent companions cuffed. Madoka runs up to them. “Uh, Sayaka?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

Madoka suddenly kisses her on the lips, hanging on for a short while, and then pulls away. “Sorry, I wanted to do something spontaneous.”

 

Sayaka looks away, blushing. “That was definitely spontaneous.”

 

Crawford looks at his captive. “Can you play nice?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Okay,” Crawford cuts the cuffs, “then you’re free, ya crazy kid.”

 

Kyoko looks back at Mami. “How long do you plan on keeping me like this?”

 

“I really like seeing you tied up. It’s hot.”

 

“Excuse you?”

 

“Just kidding.” Mami snaps her fingers, the ribbons disappear.

 

“Don’t joke about that. I oughta kick your ass.”

 

“You wanna be tied up again?”

 

“No.”

 

 

 

“Hey. Come here.” Toews beckons Homura into Madoka’s back yard. The feast is going on in the next room, Kyoko stealing Kane’s beer, downing it, Shaw and Sayaka playfully shoving each other, Hasek and Crawford taking turns watching the weather report with Madoka’s parents, Mami and Hossa sitting at the corner of the table, the only ones with any semblance of table manners. “Miss Akemi, you’re going to have to be the captain of this team. Got it? This thing is coming and you’re the only one who’s fought it before.”

 

“How do you know that?”

 

“Crow told me you had some experience dealing with this thing. Shawzy told me that you’d fought it a hundred times. Well, congratulations, captain.”

 

“I don’t understand.”

 

“You will, Miss Akemi.” The rain begins to fall. Visibility is cut to nothing, all Toews and Homura can see is the torrential downpour around them. “Why don’t we go inside?”

 

“No. Let’s bring everyone outside.”

 

The motley crew of magical girls and hockey players and even a couple of magical hockey players stands in the rain, talking amongst themselves. Homura stands out in front of them, soaked. Toews speaks up. “Cut the chatter, captain’s gonna speak.” Homura clears her throat. “This rain means that Walpurgisnacht is coming soon. I have devised a several pronged attack plan. I haven’t ever had a crew big enough to pull this off, but Mami and I will stay at range and fight Walpurgisnacht at a distance, hoping to draw her familiars. Mr. Kane, Mr. Hossa, you both need to help us.” Hossa and Kane grab their hockey sticks. Hossa starts putting forth duffle bags full of pucks. “Okay, leave it to us. Kaner and I both have pretty hard shots. I’m sure we can make it sting.” Homura continues. “We will be the artillery. Mr. Toews, Mr. Shaw, someone is going to have to take on those familiars. I am counting on you to do just that.” Shaw nods meaningfully, Toews stands stoically. He eventually gives a thumbs up signal. “Now, we need an advance team to bring the fight to Walpurgisnacht. Miss Sakura and Miss Miki, since they fight at close range, will be charging in. However, Walpurgisnacht can still attack with brutal bolts of energy. That’s why Mr. Crawford and Mr. Hasek will accompany them.” The four stand up. “Teacher, Sayaka has only been a magical girl for a few days. She’s your responsibility.” Hasek claps Sayaka on the shoulder. “You ready to deliver the killing blow, Sayaka?” Sayaka looks confidently at Hasek. “Yeah. I am.”

 

 

 

Hossa walks up to the master bedroom, casting a spell on the door. “There we go, Mr. and Mrs. Kaname. No way you’re going to hear any noises downstairs now.” He walks back down the stairs, chuckling to himself. He begins to hum.

 

 

 

“I don’t see why you can’t both hang out here.” Shaw looks back and forth confusedly. Homura is snuggled right next to him, staring daggers at Kane.

 

Kane puts his arm around Shaw. “C’mon, Shawzy, lose the chick. I gotta tell ya about these… Tell ya what, get rid of the chick and I’ll tell ya the rest.”

 

“Kaner, behave. Homura can hang out with us if she wants.”

 

“Okay. Fine. By the way, Shawzy, those chicks over there, Kyoko and Sayaka, are hotheads. They fight first, ask questions never. Sound familiar? Sound like a certain grinder you know that wears number 65?”

 

“I’ve noticed.” Shaw facewashes Kane playfully.

 

“Mr. Shaw, please don’t invite her over.”

 

“Shawzy, they’ve both gotta see it.”

 

Homura tugs Shaw’s shirt. “Mr. Shaw, please.”

 

“Sorry, kid, can’t have a grinder go through life without seeing this. YO! Sayaka, Kyoko, come over here.”

 

“What’s up, Andy?” Kyoko gets in-between Kane and Shaw.

 

“Don’t call me Andy.”

 

“What is it, Mr. Shaw?” Sayaka decides on the only spot she’s comfortable, right behind Shaw.

 

“Watch this.” Shaw produces a laptop and pulls up a video. “You’re both grinders, so I figure I’d show you what being a grinder is all about.”

 

The video starts with a sweeping shot of a farm. “Did the heavyweight champion from Harvard suffer a defeat, Harry Neale?” The shot continues. “I’d say he lost a decision to the farmer from Saskatchewan.” A man walks through a tunnel. Kyoko comments. “I like his eyes. You can tell a lot about someone from their eyes.” The man throws a hit, scores, does hockey things. “Mr. Shaw, what does this have to do…” The man, obviously smaller than his opponents is featured in a long series of fights. Sayaka shuts up. The man is getting the better of his opponents. Kyoko can only stare wide eyed. She grins. Sayaka looks on, brow furrowed. “I don’t get it.” The man fights a much taller man, a much bigger one. The larger man in the red uniform is also defeated. “Mr. Shaw, what does the writing in the corner say?” Shaw looks at Sayaka, “All heart. That man’s name is Wendel Clark. He never had any regrets. He was always willing to fight. He never gave up. You wanna be a grinder? Be this grinder.” During the viewing party, Toews, Madoka and Mami had made their way over. They were now all piled on top of each other. Crawford, Hossa and Hasek, for their part, were still watching the weather report.

 

“This is the power of Walpurgisnacht. The streets are flooding. Are you ready, Corey?” Hasek looks at his disciple, the power finally goes out.

 

“I’m ready, teacher.” 

 

 

 

“Mami Tomoe.” Mami perks up, Kyubey’s voice filling her head.

 

“Yes, Kyubey?”

 

The creature’s voice fills her head again. “Did I ever tell you where witches came from?”

 

 

 

Marian Hossa walks into the next room where the cuddle pile is currently taking place. “Acting like pubescent girls, eh boys?” Suddenly, Mami screams. She transforms, drawing a musket. “We… We’re witches. We’re all witches.” She points a musket at Kyoko’s soul gem. Kyoko’s eyes widen, she then closes them. This was the end, too late to react. Mami was going to kill her in some insane rage. _God? Are you there? My life sucked, God…_ She hears the shot. She then hears a ruckus, men shouting orders at each other, footsteps stomping everywhere, Mami screaming. “THIS IS THE ONLY WAY! LET ME GO!” Kyoko opens her eyes, Hossa is lying on top of her. It’s wet. She reaches down, bringing the liquid to her eyes for closer inspection. It’s blood. “Are you all right, Kyoko?” Hossa smiles at her. “Marian…” Hossa is bleeding heavily from a wound in his chest. He holds up a finger. “Don’t worry.” A brilliant light emanates from the wound, Hossa winces. The light fades. He grabs Kyoko’s hand, placing it on his chest. “See? Good as new.” He coughs. “Well, almost good as new. It’ll be a little while before I can fully recuperate from all this healing magic I’ve been using.”

 

Corey Crawford walks up to the girls. “We need to talk. Tazer, Kaner, keep our friend here restrained.” Toews and Kane continue to hold Mami down. “Okay, listen up and don’t freak out. Magical girls, if their soul gems are fully corrupted, will become witches. Now don’t freak out, I’ve been using magic for over twenty years and I’m not a witch… At least, not since I last checked.” Crawford looks over. “Teacher, am I a witch?” Hasek shakes his head. “No, Corey, you are not a witch.” Homura doesn’t react. Sayaka looks around frantically. “But what if we do become witches? What if…” She feels something enveloping her from behind. “I won’t let you, Sayaka.” She turns around, Madoka is holding her tightly. “I won’t let you become a witch.” Madoka kisses her girlfriend passionately, more or less sticking her tongue down Sayaka’s throat. She pulls away. “Never.” Crawford rolls his eyes. “That answer your question?” Sayaka blushes. “Because it looks to me like that answered your question.” He turns. “Questions, Kyoko? You’ve been pretty quiet.”

 

“Nope. Just gotta keep killing witches, getting grief seeds, not dying. Same as I always have.”

 


	13. It’s One For the Dagger and One for the One You Believe

“You have time?” Hasek has walked over to Sayaka’s futon, she is holding Madoka tightly.

 

“Yeah, I guess.” She untangles herself from her girlfriend’s limbs as gently as she can. “What do you need me for?”

 

Hasek holds up a grief seed attached to a silver chain. “We need to talk. I don’t want to go my whole life without telling this story to someone. The Swedes are fond of a saying, ‘Shared joy is double joy, shared sorrow is half sorrow.’ I would like to share my sorrow tonight.”

 

“What’s with the grief seed? Do you need to use it?” Sayaka tilts her head to one side.

 

“No. I will never use this. This is what’s left of Nicole. She…” Hasek blinks, tears forming in his normally bright, jovial eyes, “she suffered greatly. She won’t have to shoulder grief again.”

 

Sayaka sits still, her breathing quickens. “What was she like?”

 

“Sort of like you. She was brave, kind, idealistic. She was not very confident, though. There was an accident. Her sister was hit by a truck. The girl died at that spot. Nicole loved her dearly, she wished her younger sister back to life. It was a miracle, she lived. I met Nicole after a Sabres game the day before she turned fifteen.”

 

“She must’ve been a fan of yours.”

 

“Nicole didn’t care for hockey. Not that she hated it, she just didn’t have any strong feelings toward it. Her sister, however, loved it. I still remember the girl, unable to contain her excitement, hugging me tightly. She said I was amazing. Sweet little Mary was a good girl. Nicole saw the ring around my finger, she was a smart girl, she showed me hers and mouthed ‘we need to talk’ to me. I met her later around back of the building. She told me that she knew that I was a magic user and she wanted to train under me. Of course, that was after I had told her that I had been using magic for almost twenty years. We trained hard. She visited me almost every night I was in town, in Buffalo. Then, the Sabres, after Nicole and I had spent a year together fighting, a year training, went on a trip. Four consecutive games on the road.” Hasek paused, staring intently at the grief seed.

 

“What happened?”

 

“There was an accident. I heard about it, I tried calling Nicole’s house, introducing myself as a tutor. Her parents said that they hadn’t seen her in a couple days and, if I would excuse them, they had business to attend to. They were burying their younger daughter. I saw Nicole one more time, she knelt at her sister’s grave. She looked at me, I… I’ll never forget what she said.” Hasek stares off into space, as if he’s in a trance, “‘I said I’d protect her, teacher. I promised. I promised.’” Hasek looks down, clutching the seed tightly, the pins digging into his skin, drawing blood. “I slew her witch right there on that spot, making sure to retrieve the body. She was buried right next to her sister. It didn’t need to happen like that. It didn’t need to happen like that, but it did.”

 

“I’m sorry, Mr. Hasek.”

 

“So this is what is left of my first disciple. When I had first met Corey, I expected to be carrying him, too. Well…” Hasek looks at Crawford, snoring away on the couch. “Let’s just say that I am happy that I am not always right.”

 

Sayaka looks at Hasek, she contemplates the meaning of his words for a while. Perhaps he just wanted to share a sad story. Perhaps she was supposed to learn something. She guessed that it didn’t really matter. She was just happy she could be there. “What does this have to do with me?” What else was she supposed to say? The silence became too much. 

 

“I just figured I should tell you. I don’t want you to become like that, so engulfed in grief. Remember that those people you lose, when you do lose them, live on within you. I know that it’s cheesy, but it’s the truth.”

 

The two can hear a rustling from the futons. “Sayaka?” Madoka rises from the sheet. “Sayaka, where are you?” The blue haired girl grabs both of Madoka’s hands. “I’m right here.” She returns the passionate kiss from earlier. “I always will be.” She kisses her again. “No matter what.” 

 

“Give it a fucking rest already… It’s, like, four in the morning.” Patrick Kane has rolled over, obviously displeased with the ruckus. “God, that’s so corny. ‘I’ll be here forever.’ Go back to sleep.”

 

“Don’t be an asshole, Kaner, you had to have been in love once in your life.” Toews rolls over, staring his teammate in the face.

 

Kane’s face contorts, deep in thought, “Nope, never. Sorry, Tazer.”

 

“Whatever. Listen, girls, do whatever you want. Don’t let Kaner rain on your parade.”

 

“The mood’s already kinda ruined, Mr. Toews.” Sayaka sighs.

 

“I figured as much. Go to sleep.”

 

 

 

Kyoko wakes up. She remembers… something. Dad? Was it Dad? She remembers the murder/suicide. She remembers all of it. It’s… Her face is hot. 

 

“Are you all right?” Kyoko looks up into the face of Marian Hossa.

 

“Stop trying to be my friend, dammit. Just stay away from me.”

 

“You don’t have to be alone. We are a team. At least for now we are... So let me in, what’s wrong?”

 

“Shut up.” Kyoko opens the door and walks away.

 

Hossa sighs. He feels a presence. “She’s not your responsibility, Hoss.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“Give me a shot, Hoss. I got this.” Patrick Kane starts slipping on some clothes. “I don’t know what I’m gonna do, but I know I got this.” He reiterates. “I got this”  He seems to be more convincing himself than he is Hossa. He walks out the door.

 

 

 

“You run away like this all the time, kid? Man, I overestimated you.” Kyoko looks back, seeing the form of Patrick Kane, soaked by the rain.

 

“Like I care what you think.” Kyoko continues forward.

 

“You don’t. But you and me, we’re kinda alike. We used to care what people thought about us.”

 

“Used to?”

 

“I could care less about twenty thousand screaming fans, I could care less about the millions watching at home. Patrick Kane steals the show because Patrick Kane wants to steal the show. No other reason. People will bite your head off if you care what they think. Right?” Kane looks at Kyoko, eyes full of expectation.

 

“Right. So why should I care if some witch is gonna demolish this stupid city? I shouldn’t.” Kyoko sulks, slumping her shoulders.

 

“You really gonna shy away from the big stage? The bright lights? Sounds like Kyoko Sakura isn’t in business for Kyoko Sakura.” Kane smiles.

 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Kyoko turns on her heel.

 

“You’re running away from the biggest show of your life. The curtain rises, there’s a full house. You’re really gonna let that blue haired bimbo steal the show? Or worse, you gonna let that blonde headcase steal the show? Or that bitchy emo chick?”

 

Kyoko starts walking toward Kane. “No. I guess I can’t deprive you of my amazing presence.”

 

Kane puts his hand on her shoulder. “Showtime.”

 

“Yeah. Showtime.”

 

The two walk back. “You know? You should be nicer to Hoss. He put his life on the line for you back there. Something about you has him going nuts.”

 

Kyoko looks down. “I don’t deserve it.”

 

Kane grabs her, “YES YOU DO! You absolutely do. Quit being a loner. You don’t have to be.”

 

“If you knew anything about me, you wouldn’t say that.”

 

“Okay. I’ll bite. Tell me what’s up.”

 

“My dad was a priest…”

 

“Yeah?” Kane stared off into space. _Sheltered church girls. Why the fuck aren’t you, like, 21 yet?_  

 

“I wished that people would listen to him. It… It was a mistake, Pat. He found out it was because of my wish. He called me a witch. Can you believe that? A witch. He killed my mom, he killed my sister, he killed himself.”

 

‘But you’re still alive.”

 

“Yeah, so? They’re all dead because of me. Good and bad have a way of balancing themselves out.”

 

“And?”

 

Kyoko looks up, clenching her fists. “And? AND? What do you mean ‘and’?”

 

“I mean ‘and’. I’m waiting to hear why this means Hoss shouldn’t care about you.”

 

“Because people who get close to me have a way of dying.”

 

“Sounds like your dad was a little unhinged to start with. Church people tend to be that way. God bless them, I’d get maybe half as much tail as I do if they didn’t have sheltered daughters willing to rebel.” Kane chuckles.

 

“What? What’s so funny?” Kyoko’s face feels hot again.

 

“I’m saying that if I wanted to, I’d have a girl like you in bed in a couple minutes at most. But that’s beside the point.” Kane shows off his wolfish grin.

 

“Then what is your point?” Kyoko’s soul gem starts reacting, glowing, she’s about ready to transform and run this guy through.

 

“My point is that you’re using an isolated, extreme incident to argue why you should never get close to anyone again. I think that’s stupid. Hoss, for whatever reason, seems to care about you a whole lot. Maybe you should start caring about what happens to him.”

 

Kyoko stands, dumbfounded. She hadn’t thought of it that way before. Maybe the aftermath of her wish was just an isolated incident. Maybe…

 

“You coming or are you just gonna stand in the rain all morning?”

 

 

 

“It’s over, Mr. Shaw. Even if everything went perfectly in this timeline, Madoka had already decided. She and Miss Miki were kissing last night.” Homura had shaken Shaw awake.

 

“Hey, plenty of fish in the sea. Besides, if Madoka’s happy, isn’t that what you wanted? She’s alive and she’s happy.”

 

“I wanted a little more than that, Mr. Shaw.”

 

Shaw frowns. “I figured. Why don’t we step out? I got an umbrella. We can share if you want.”

 

Homura’s eyes don’t exactly light up, she’s too defeated for that at the moment, but she appreciates the gesture. “Yes. I would enjoy that, Mr. Shaw.”

 

“Let’s go.”

 

Homura is hanging on tightly to Shaw’s arm as he holds up the umbrella. The downpour around them has cut visibility to nothing. They sit on a bench. “Well? What are you gonna do now? Obviously Madoka isn’t yours, she’s Sayaka’s. I’m guessing that’s as close to a worst case scenario as it gets.”

 

“You’re perceptive, Mr. Shaw.”

 

“Okay, so what’s up? What’s the plan?”

 

“I’m not sure. I’ve lived through this month in many, many timelines. I suppose one more time wouldn’t hurt.”

 

“It would hurt, kid.”

 

“What?” Homura looks up at Shaw.

 

“It would hurt me. What you told me about suffering, the nightmares, the whole business with Madoka, it hurts me that you want to go through that again just to get a slightly different result. You’re a good kid, Homura. Got me? You’re a good kid. Quit doing this to yourself.” Shaw’s eyes well.

 

“It has to be perfect, Mr. Shaw.”

 

“Just… Please let this timeline play out before you go off the deep end.”

 

“There’s nothing here for me. Madoka is my only friend.” Homura looks down. She transforms, ready to send herself back in time once more.

 

“No she isn’t.” Shaw takes Homura’s hand in both of his. “Homura, I am your friend. We’re friends. I told you so in Chicago, remember? Don’t you remember?” Shaw’s hands are trembling.

 

Homura sheds her magical girl attire, she is left in her street clothes. “Okay, Mr. Shaw, I won’t do it. At least not now.”

 

Shaw stands up. “No. Don’t ever do it. Don’t go back. Don’t ever go back, just go forward.”

 

Homura looks down and murmurs something Shaw can’t hear. “What?”

 

Homura looks up. “I can’t make that promise, Mr. Shaw.”

 

Shaw looks at Homura, tears freely streaming down his face. “Don’t your parents miss you? Remember all those timelines you abandoned? You  just disappeared.”

 

Homura looks up. “They’re dead, Mr. Shaw. I’m living off their estate.”

 

“Then you can come live with me in Chicago. It’ll be like you’re my kid sister. I’ll even get a 2 bedroom apartment.”

 

“I…”

 

“Think about it, Homura. You’re a good kid. I’d hate to lose you.”

 

Homura giggles. “Figures that you would. You’re my big brother now, right? That, at least, is what you said.”

 

Shaw tosses his head back in roaring laughter. “Yeah, I guess I am. And you’re my kid sister now.” He hugs Homura, holding her tight to his chest.

 

 

 

“Sayaka, aren’t you nevous?” Madoka looks up at her girlfriend. “I mean, this witch sounds scary. I’d be nervous.”

 

Sayaka looks down. “I’m not nervous. I’m scared. I’m terrified. But I have to protect the city.”

 

Madoka draws closer. “Just the city?”

 

“Let’s just say that someone important lives here. She’s really beautiful and she’s kinda a tease.”

 

“Promise you’ll come back to me.”

 

“I’ll come back to you.” A peck on the lips. “I promise.”

 

“You’ve never broken a promise, Sayaka.”

 

“I don’t think I’m starting.”

 

“Ah, young love. It’s a force simultaneously more and less powerful than you’d think. It’s less powerful than you’d think in terms of staying power, but so very strong in terms of intensity. Don’t you agree, girls?” Hasek walks into the room. “You’re coming back, aren’t you Sayaka?” He pats her on the shoulder. “After all, you have me watching your back. Should be fun and easy, right?”

 

 

 

Toews is watching the storm outside, sitting in the back yard, letting the rain wash over him. He is at peace. The rain is beautiful, it’s home to him. Jonathan Toews feels alive, perhaps more alive than he has ever felt. He takes a deep breath, he lets some more drops fall on him. They’re heavy, slapping his skin as they fall down. He sits under the rain, feeling it, feeling at peace. Feeling alive. This was fine. “Mr. Toews?” He turns around, a familiar blonde figure gracefully walks over to him. “Mr. Toews, can I talk to you?”

 

“Just as long as you don’t try to shoot me.”

 

“How can you be so calm right now? We’re… I mean, we could die, couldn’t we?”

 

“I suppose we could. Hopefully we don’t, but if we do, oh well. It probably couldn’t be helped.”

 

Mami looks up at the rain. “It couldn’t be helped?”

 

“Nope. Couldn’t be helped. At least I don’t think. Do you think so? I like to believe in destiny, Miss Tomoe. I feel like something has already decided whether we’re going to live or die and we’re just playing out the string. I don’t know how it’ll end, but I know I can approach it with poise. I can hold my head up high no matter what when Walpurgisnacht comes.”

 

“Mr. Toews…”

 

“Just sit here with me, you can sit fully clothed or you could strip down to your underwear like I have. In any case, just feel the rain. It’s something amazing.”

 

Mami strips down to her underwear and takes a seat next to Toews. “Okay, Mr. Toews, I did it.”

 

Toews didn’t really expect that. He was just trying to convince Kaner that he had, in fact, showered. Being called a dirty kid wasn’t his idea of a good time. “Uh, cool. Just feel the rain, man. Let if wash over you.”

 

She sits and feels the rain. All it’s doing is making her feel wet. Her hair is wet, her underwear is wet, her clothes are probably getting wet. This is… It feels kinda strange. It’s liberating. She’s just sitting here and letting the rain wash over her body. She feels clean now. Mami Tomoe is finally clean like she’s always hoped she’d be. Maybe the rain would cleanse her soul completely if she just sat here long enough. She’s ready. For what she’s not sure, but she’s ready. Mami Tomoe isn’t alone anymore. She’s got people inside, Mr. Toews is sitting right next to her. Maybe it’d be okay. Right?

 

“Hey, Tazer, put some clothes on. We got some shit to discuss.”

 

Toews stands up and puts on his soaked shirt and shorts. “Coming, Crow.” Toews turns to Mami. “Miss Tomoe, don’t move.”

 

Mami doesn’t dare move. She’s at peace here. For the first time since before she became a magical girl, she feels safe. Mami can feel the tears streaming down her face, joining the rain on the ground.

 

“Whoa. Pretty, pretty.” Kyoko walks up to Mami, sitting down next to her. “So. What’s up? Why’re you sitting here in your underwear?”

 

“Mr. Toews said it would help me.” Mami shifts, inching closer to Kyoko.

 

“Yeah? How’s that working out?” Kyoko slides closer.

 

“It gave me a chance to think. You know? We should give friendship another chance, Kyoko. I don’t have to be alone anymore. Neither do you.”

 

“People that get close to me… They get hurt, Mami. They burn.”

 

Toews and Crawford stand at the door. “Bet you fifty bucks they kiss, Tazer.” Toews looks over, “Bet you fifty bucks they don’t.” The two shake hands.

 

“We’re damned anyway, aren’t we? What’s a little burning going to add to that?” Mami shifts ever closer. How she still had space to do so is beyond the scope of this author’s understanding, so it’s best ignored.

 

“Go for it, kid. Go for it.” Crawford wrings his hands. “Shut up, Crow.”

 

“Damned to a fate fighting witches, Kyoko. Damned to become one of them one day or to die violently. We may as well spend that time together, right?”

 

“Fight it. Fight it. Come on, fight it.” Toews is on the verge of losing his second bet. “Come on, that’s corny as Hell. There’s young love and then there’s this faux-shakespearian bullshit. I’ve seen Kaner strike out with more dignity than this.”

 

“It’s not really that Shakespearian, Tazer.”

 

“Shut the fuck up, Crow.”

 

“Like, it’s purple prose, I’ll give you that, but you really think Mr. ‘Brevity is the soul of wit’ would say something that sappy or unnecessary?”

 

“How the fuck did I get drawn into this conversation? No, Crow, I don’t… Just shut up and watch.”

 

“A little Hellfire might be good for the soul, Kyoko. I’ll burn with you.”

 

“Mami…” Kyoko hugs Mami tight. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

 

The girls look back. “How long were you there, Corey, Jonny?”

 

Crawford smiles wide. “Long enough to hear that purple prose spilling out of ol’ Tomoe’s mouth. Pay up, Tazer.”

 

It is now Toews’s turn to smile. “They didn’t kiss, Crow. You need to pay up.”

 

 

 

“You know? Kaner can play the violin, Miss Miki.” Toews has walked back into the main area of the Kaname residence where Sayaka and Madoka are staring out the window, holding one another tightly. Toews revels in the purity of it all. What can he say? Despite the serious exterior, he’s a sucker for love.

 

“What?”

 

“Yeah. That guy probably isn’t so great. I bet I could beat him in a good old fashioned fiddle contest. Just gotta get the machine’s gears lubed up first, if ya know what I mean.” Kane cracks open a beer. “Let’s go find this dude, man.”

 

Sayaka spills the beans on Kyosuke’s location. “He’s probably at the music hall practicing.”

 

The four walk up to the music hall, an ominous, Gothic structure that looks at least a little out of place in the ultramodern Mitakihara City. The music hall didn’t even seem like a very old building, it just seemed like Gothic for Gothic’s sake. This was of monumental disinterest to Patrick Kane who had knocked back his seventh beer on the walk alone. “Let’s gooooooooo, boys. I’m about to send our fancy friend back to the stone age, baby. Ain’t that right Tazer?” Toews shakes his head incredulously. “Uh, Sayaka, you got me, yeah?” She looks down at the pavement. “Uh… Madoka?” The girl looks up at Kane, face full of expectation. “Yes, Mr. Kane?” The final vestiges of Kane’s smile fade completely. “Um… Never mind.”

 

They walk inside, through the building, hearing the sound of classical violin. “That’s him.” Sayaka’s chest tightens up. She’s having… No. She’s with Madoka now. She never needed Kyosuke anyway. Right?

 

Kane starts clapping loudly, obnoxiously. “Bravo, bravo! What a fuckin’ show!” Kane tips back his… how many had that been? Another beer. So many he’d lost count. He drunkenly stumbled down to the stage, stepping up in front of the gathered audience. It wasn’t a sellout, it seemed like these people were here to watch a competition. Kane taps a man in a tuxedo on the shoulder. “Yo, you got a fiddle I can borrow?” The man produces a cheap violin. “Danke.”

 

“Yo, kid, keep up.” Kane starts playing, the sound of honest to God country music fiddling fills the music hall. He plays faster and faster, just adding in random showing off. Kane starts swaggering around the stage. “What’s up, bro! Let’s gooooooooo!”

 

Kyosuke plays the same arrangement he had already played. He decides that this will placate the drunk in front of him. Kane starts playing out of turn. “Yer pretty good, Old Son, now why don’tcha sit down in that chair right there and let me show you how it’s done.” Kane starts playing again. “Ya can’t even keep up, kid. C’mon throw some fiddlin’ in there somewhere!” The normally stuffy judges and dignitaries are having themselves a hoedown in the aisles. Kane and Kyosuke both play at the same time, a cacophony of classical style violin and country fiddle fill the music hall. The assembled start clapping rhythmically to the impromptu display. Toews starts making his way toward the stage.

 

“Hey!” Toews puts his hands up. “Who won?”

 

The dignitaries and judges stare, some scratch their heads, others look down. Sayaka’s face is incredibly red, a shade of red that had yet to be discovered. Eventually the assembled make their decision. “LET’S GO HAWKS! LET’S GO HAWKS! LET’S GO HAWKS! LET’S GO HAWKS!”


	14. Kujikenai, Let’s Go You Hawks, Move Off

The rain came down even harder than it had in the last couple days, lightning frequently split the sky, the wind whipped light things like deck furniture around. A small group had gathered in front of the Mitakihara shelter, Homura Akemi kneeling in front, drawing battle plans in the cement. She pointed the chalk at people in turn screaming “GOT IT?” at each of them, each replied the same, “Yes, Captain.” Andrew Shaw is mumbling to himself, rocking back and forth. Kyoko looks up at him. “You okay, Andy?” Shaw ignores her. Hossa taps him on the shoulder. “Shawzy?” Shaw shoves an ear bud in Kyoko’s ear. **_I hope they bury me and send me to my rest, Headlines readin’ murdered to death, my last breath, take a look, picture a crook on his last stand, mothafuckas don’t understand, if I die tonight._** He smiles at the advance team, “Can I speak up, Captain?” Homura looks at him, the features of her face soften. “Of course, Mr. Shaw.”

 

“A coward dies a thousand deaths, a soldier dies but one.”

 

 

 

The teams set up. Kane and Hossa lay out flat surfaces on which to shoot pucks, Hossa imbues them with white magic. “This’ll make them sting a little more, eh, Kaner?” Kane nods. Mami summons a circle of muskets, Homura sets up approximately a hundred mortar launchers, sets herself up a sniping post and lays several hundred pounds of ordinance behind that. Toews stretches his neck, Shaw bounces confidently in a boxer’s stance. He looks back at Homura, giving her a cheesy thumbs up. Homura shivers, “She’s here.”

 

A massive creature resembling a woman appears over the horizon, floating upside down. it laughs a pained laugh. “That it?” Kane looks at Homura, she nods. He shoots a puck at it.  It connects. The creature seems unfazed. Homura starts firing mortars, Mami takes a shot, Hossa takes a slap shot. The advance teams move forward under covering fire. “It’s bigger than I imagined.” Hasek transforms, sprinting forward. “Sayaka, try to keep up with me.” Familiars start flooding forward from the bottom of the creature’s dress, an eruption of shadowy creatures, they swirl in the sky like a tornado. They start attacking, some going for the advance team, most going toward the group at the rear, roughly a mile away. A few staying back to protect Walpurgisnacht.

 

 

 

“Let’s go, Tazer. Time to be an enforcer for a day.” Shaw grabs a familiar, wrestling it to the ground, punching it a few times. It disappears. Toews throws a right haymaker at one, a left one at another, a right straight at a third. Toews makes his way backwards, throwing combinations. The familiars drop one by one. Shaw swaggers about, excessive footwork to his left and right, throwing flicker jabs and flashy rights. He’s dropping familiars at an impressive rate. The vanguard is easily defeated. More attack, throwing themselves at the two, Toews and Shaw keep throwing punches. A familiar attacks, sinking its teeth deep into his shoulder. He throws it off and stomps, killing it. Another slashes him in the gut, he haunches over. He throws another punch, knocking it out of existence. The wounds are deep, Toews drops to a knee. Shaw, for his part, is covered in cuts, his shirt is shredded into a mess of white fabric and bloodstains. He stays standing. “C’MON, YA PUSSIES! I GOT SOME FOR ALL OF YA!” He waves the familiars on. Toews gets up and continues fighting.

 

 

 

The rear position hasn’t been touched yet, Homura has fired the last of her mortars. Mami throws another musket on to a growing pile. She grabs another, shoots, and discards it. She grabs, shoots, discards. Grab, shoot, discard. She places another grief seed against her soul gem. She guesses that that would’ve been the eighth time she would’ve died and become a witch. Kane winds up another slap shot, firing, seeing a puck imbued with white magic connect with Walpurgisnacht’s “head”. It seemed not to like that very much. Kane starts firing, aiming for that. Hossa has tried to fire pucks into the area under the dress. He assumes that there’s something important down there. Every so often, Walpurgisnacht cackles when a puck gets jammed in there, it belches fire and smoke from beneath the dress. Homura looks through a pair of binoculars, holding a detonator. “Now.” She squeezes the mechanism, a massive pile of plastic explosives goes off, Walpurgisnacht is bounced into the air a little further, it drops down. It continues to cackle. More familiars emerge. Homura starts picking them off with her rifle.

 

 

 

Crawford and Kyoko are confidently making their way through over the left side, cutting down any familiars in their way, Crawford confidently making “saves” on the black bolts Walpurgisnacht fires. Crawford brains one familiar with his stick, drops to butterfly to get two more, pounds one with a sweeping motion of his glove, stops another bolt with his blocker, swings his stick, getting three at once. Kyoko is swinging her spear, the segmented weapon held together by chains. She has turned her immediate vicinity into a meat grinder. Familiars start attacking from behind, she manages to get most of them. Crawford jumps up and gets the rest in a few quick, confident motions. “This is easier than I thought.” Kyoko puts a grief seed to her soul gem. Crawford looks over the horizon. “We got the easy route. Look, these buildings are covering us. That thing has to focus its attention three ways, we get to slip by. Teacher and Sayaka gotta somehow make it over the highway. We gotta make our approach count. I think there’s at least a thousand of those fucking things right next to Walpurgisnacht. Stick close, we still got about half a mile to go.”

 

 

 

Hasek is throwing himself into the fray, a display of skill and quickness unlike any Sayaka had ever seen. His stick is a blur, he swings it constantly. His glove is just suddenly where familiars are going to be. He jumps and does the splits, an ariel butterfly position. He rolls, jumps, flails and jukes his way through the thousands of familiars, always finding a way to jump out of nowhere and get one that the rookie magical girl didn’t see. He continues forward, Sayaka guesses that he’s dropped a thousand of the things. She keeps fighting. It’s easy for her to keep count. “Eight.” Hasek looks at her. “Eight what?” He involuntarily spins around, braining a familiar with his stick. “Eight kills.” Sayaka looks down. “It’s not a competition.” Hasek sees a blast coming, he gloves it. “Let’s keep going.”

 

 

 

Toews and Shaw fall back, they need support. Toews can barely stand, Shaw dropped, he continued to try to swing at familiars from his knees. “You’re not touching her. Fuck you.” Toews grabs Shaw, dragging him to the rear position. At the rear position, Hossa immediately recognizes the situation and jumps forward to fight the familiars on his own. He swings his stick, slashing familiars, dropping them. Kane takes a step forward. “Keep laying down covering fire. Don’t worry about me, Kaner.” Homura, Mami and Kane continue to lay down covering fire, hitting Walpurgisnacht over and over again. Hossa is overwhelmed, there are at least ten thousand familiars coming. The relentless onslaught continues. Hossa finally drops from exhaustion. Kane steps forward. Mami takes hold of his sleeve. “Don’t.” Kane looks at her. “Sorry, gotta steal the show. Keep shooting, ladies.” Kane brandishes his stick, dumps both bags and starts firing pucks at familiars. When they get close, he slashes them. The familiars start to circle around, despite Kane’s forehand and backhand barrage. He runs out of pucks. Still over a thousand familiars to deal with. Kane starts slashing, gashing, attacking. The familiars overrun him. Homura draws small arms. “Miss Tomoe, this is important, keep firing at Walpurgisnacht no matter what. Do not help me.” Homura starts firing pistols in all directions, drawing attention away from Kane. She simply pulls more out from her buckler rather than reloading. She pulls out a wide variety of firearms, pistols, shotguns, a submachine gun. She puts on an acrobatic display, twirling and flipping, manipulating time to keep from being surrounded. She feels a sharp pain in her left thigh. A familiar has cut her deep. She braces for the end. The wave of familiars is cleared. “I knew I needed to come back.” Kyoko is standing in front of Homura, back turned. “Corey’s got this. He sent me back. Don’t lose your shit over it.” Still more familiars spill over the horizon.

 

 

 

Sayaka’s vision is blurry, walking has become a struggle. She swings her sword to little effect. Hasek is still flipping around, taking familiars out. He sees a cloud of them approaching. He glances back at Sayaka. “Watch this.” He holds his stick backwards, hand grasping the blade. A brilliant white beam shoots out of the end of the stick, obliterating all of them. “Not bad, eh? Are you all right?” Sayaka is struggling with a single familiar, just swinging her sword haphazardly. Hasek takes it out with a single swing. Sayaka falls forward, Hasek catches her. He inspects the soul gem covering her navel. It’s nearly black. “That’s not good. Come on, Sayaka.” Hasek carries her into a toll booth. “We’re only a hundred meters out. We’re almost there.” He shakes his blocker off, grabbing a grief seed out of his pocket. He places it against her soul gem. “Sayaka? Are you all right?.” Sayaka sits up. “Mr. Hasek, where are we?” The toll booth collapses around them. Hasek drops on top of Sayaka. He stands up amidst the rubble, the girl is unharmed. He senses a blast coming, it’s aimed for Sayaka’s soul gem. He could get his blocker in front of it easily, but his blocker’s on the ground. His blocker hand is bare, his soul gem is exposed. _Lindros getting it in front, a backhand in front_ He throws his hand in front of the blast without hesitation. _Hasek with a miraculous save! Oh, brother, we are not worthy!_ Hasek coughs up blood, dropping to one knee, his gem is cracked, it’ll go any second. “Damn right you weren’t, Rick.” Hasek reaches under his pads, pulling out a necklace. “Sayaka, please take care of Nicole.” He puts the grief seed in Sayaka’s hand. “Don’t ever use this. Please.” Hasek’s soul gem explodes. He puts his hand on Sayaka’s cheek. “Someone is waiting for you. Go back to her alive.” He coughs again. “Tell Corey that I’m sorry.” He smiles a bloody smile and falls to his back. Dominik Hasek is dead.

 

“I’m sorry, Mr. Hasek. I failed. Again.” Sayaka draws a cutlass. She turns to the giant creature, taking a deep breath. She starts running, charging forward, screaming as she does.

 

 

 

Corey Crawford finds himself right in front of Walpurgisnacht. He shakes off his glove, extending his index finger and thumb, holding it up like a gun. He cocks it back, simulating kickback. “Bang.” A barrage of red discs of energy slam into the witch, pounding its familiars into nothing. He looks at the opposite approach, seeing Sayaka climbing the witch. “Where’s Dom?” She ignores him, climbing the witch, Crawford keeps the familiars off of her. “Where’s Dom?” Sayaka keeps climbing, singlemidnded determination in her eyes. She gets to the top of the witch, seeing massive gears turning, smoke belching from her inner workings. Sayaka conjures a cutlass and jams it in-between the two largest gears. It shudders and snaps. She starts taking swords out of the ether and shoving them into various gears, hoping that one will stick. _Think, c’mon, think. The swords aren’t enough. They keep breaking. I need something that won’t break, or at least won’t stay broken. Maybe…_

 

 

 

Kyoko, Homura and Mami have been fighting an endless army of familiars, all three are exhausted. Homura looks at her hand, her soul gem is nearly black. She drops to her knees. “It’s impossible. I’m sorry, Mr. Shaw. I’m sorry, Madoka. I’m sorry… Everyone.” Kyoko and Mami lie on either side of her, barely breathing, near death. Homura closes her eyes, accepting her fate. A scream pierces the silence.

 

Andrew Shaw is lying face down on the ground, a memory comes to the forefront of his mind. _Don’t tell me about heart._ Shaw pounds his fist against the ground and rises to one knee. _And dedication._ He rises to his feet, scooping three grief seeds from Hasek’s satchel. _And resilience. This is unbelievable._ Shaw leaps into the fray, wildly swinging at familiars, tossing the grief seeds back to the girls. “Use those.” Homura dutifully places the grief seeds against her own, Mami’s and Kyoko’s soul gems. Shaw keeps swinging, harder and harder, faster and faster. His arms feel like they weigh a million pounds, his hips feel like they’re going to explode, his lungs feel like they’re on fire. Shaw keeps swinging for the fences. He looks at Homura. “Take the boys and get out of here.”

 

“What?”

 

“Did I stutter? Get the fuck out of here, Homura.”

 

“You’ll get killed.”

 

“Get out of here. Now.”

 

“Mr. Shaw.” Homura’s eyes well up, she takes a step toward him. 

 

“Go!”

 

 

 

Crawford takes out the rest of the familiars. “They’ll be coming back any minute. Sayaka? How’s it going up there?” Sayaka looks over the edge. “I think I can kill it. Throw me some grief seeds.” Crawford takes off his extremely out of style fanny pack and throws it up. Sayaka takes a deep breath, positions herself over the largest gears and sticks her thigh in-between them. She cries out. Her femur breaks, heals, breaks, heals, breaks, again and again. The bone constantly crunches and resets, her vision goes blurry from the pain. Walpurgisnacht belches smoke, the witch erupts with fire, its mechanical parts starting to come loose, fly off. Sayaka can feel the pieces slamming into her, digging in, penetrating the skin, drawing blood. She detaches herself from her body. _I’m sorry, Madoka._ Her eyes close. “Hey! Hey! Get up! Plenty of work to do!” She opens her eyes, Corey Crawford is kneeling in front of her, placing a grief seed on her soul gem. He stands up. “Yep. Here they come.” He conjures another stick. “Don’t stick your leg in there, my stick will do just fine.” Crawford’s stick is resting in the main gear.

 

 

 

“I’m going back.” Homura turns and leaves at the front door of the shelter, running back into the fray. She runs as fast as her legs can carry her. The three mile run from the shelter to the back position feels longer, almost as if it were an ultramarathon.  She arrives, seeing a man face down in the mud. “Mr. Shaw? Mr. Shaw, get up.” She shakes him, rolls him over, sees his face. His eyes are closed, his face covered in mud. “It’s all my fault, I’m so sorry. I… I never should have…” She puts her hand on Shaw’s cheek. “I’m so sorry.” She feels something warm cover her hand. “Sorry for what?” Shaw opens his eyes. “You okay, Homura?” Homura gently embraces Shaw, careful of his wounds. “I thought I lost you.” He returns the hug. “Well, you didn’t, so quit crying.”

 

“You’re hurt, you need to go to the shelter.”

 

“No. I’m waiting for Crow, Dom and Sayaka.”

 

Homura sighs, she sits down next to Shaw.

 

“There ya go.” Shaw smiles.

 

 

 

Walpurgisnacht fades out of existence. Corey Crawford throws his helmet mask off and screams skyward. He stands in his street clothes, a plain t-shirt and jeans. “Hey, Sayaka, ya see that?” Crawford looks around. “What’s up? You’re not saying anything.” He surveys the scene. “Uh, Sayaka? Quit playing around.” He surveys the wreckage, finding Sayaka in a crater. “Shit. Hey, come on, talk to me.” Crawford gently picks her up. “Mi… Craw… ford…” Sayaka reaches up, grabbing Crawford’s shirt, leaving a bloodstain. “Thank God. Okay, Sayaka, this is important. Where’s Dom?”

 

“Gone.”

 

“What do you mean gone? Where’s Dom?”

 

“Mi… Mister Crawford, He- He’s dead.” Sayaka wears a pained expression, she’s bleeding everywhere.

 

Crawford purifies her soul gem, the gem, resting on her belly, was nearly black. It immediately darkens again _._ “Listen, Sayaka, you’re gonna be okay, just stay awake, okay?”

 

Sayaka’s head is resting on Crawford’s shoulder. “Y-yeah.”

 

Crawford starts asking her questions, he heard that that helps keep someone conscious. “What’s your name, kid?”

 

“Sayaka.” Her head rolls to the left.

 

“Hey, stay with me. What’s your favorite color?”

 

“Blue.” Her breathing hitches.

 

“Uh, you got a boyfriend?”

 

“No. Girlfriend.”

 

“Oh? What’s her name?”

 

Sayaka’s eyes droop, she coughs, her head drops back.

 

“C’mon, what’s that name?”

 

“Ma… Madoka.”

 

Crawford smiles. “What’s she like?”

 

“S- s- she’s… Beau… ti… ful.” Sayaka closes her eyes.

 

Crawford purifies her soul gem again. 

 

“I love her, Mr. Crawford. I love her so much.”

 

“That’s good, kid. Really good. What are you gonna do when you see her again?”

 

“Everything.” Sayaka giggles weakly. She slumps over. “Mr. Crawford, am I gonna die?”

 

“No way. You’ll pull through, I’m sure of it.” Crawford looks over Sayaka again, her body is covered in deep cuts, burns and ugly black splotches. She has compound fractures in both of her legs, bone poking through her socks.. Her right thigh is discolored and misshapen. Crawford guesses that her femur is broken. Magical girls can generally heal wounds on their own bodies. This one, due to her wish, had exceptional aptitude in that area, but there comes a point that the damage is too extensive. It, after all, costs magic to heal wounds. Crawford purifies her soul gem again. It starts darkening again, her wounds attempt to set, Crawford can see a few of the deep bruises dissipating. “Sayaka, take a deep breath for me.” She tries, her face tightens, she cries out. “Okay, some of your ribs are broken.”

 

“That’s… bad.” Sayaka tries to force a smile, Crawford can see blood coating her teeth.

 

“You’ll be fine.”

 

Crawford carries Sayaka for a while, Crawford is careful to walk slowly, careful not to hurt Sayaka any more. She sleeps most of this time, Crawford intermittently purifying her soul gem with his dwindling supply of grief seeds. Her wounds are healing, slightly, but it’s obvious to even the most casual observer that Sayaka is not doing well. 

 

Sayaka occasionally wakes up, her life turning into a fever dream, one where she opens her eyes, the world bathed in gray, looks up at the man carrying her and briefly wonders who he is. The pain is unbearable and coming from everywhere. Her entire body is screaming at her, giving her various warning signals. The all encompassing pain is more than she has ever had to bear. She grows numb and the world goes black again. She feels something cold on her face, something wet. She opens her eyes through a great effort to see that it has started to rain again. She reaches out and grabs on to the man’s shirt. “K… K… Kyosuke?” The man looks down. He has brown eyes, there’s a faraway look in them. His hair is black. He has a beard. No. This can’t be Kyosuke. Plus, wasn’t she taller than Kyosuke? She doesn’t feel disappointed like she thought she would. Sayaka wonders why she isn’t disappointed at first, then she remembers. Madoka. Her best friend. Her girlfriend. She remembers the feeling of Madoka’s lips, Madoka’s thin arms tightly wrapped around her neck. The feel of Madoka’s wavy pink hair in her hand. Madoka’s warm breath. Seriously, who the fuck was carrying her? Sayaka felt too weak to speak so she would have to find another way to figure that out. The man speaks. “You say something?” All she can do is blankly stare at him. It hurt. Everything hurt. The man takes out… a grief seed? Where did he get that? Why did he have one? He reached down with it. Sayaka couldn’t lift her head. “What did you say?”

 

“Who are you?”

 

“Corey Crawford. We just fought Walpurgisnacht together. Remember?”

 

Corey Crawford? She remembered. She remembered Corey Crawford. The memories came flooding back. Tears filled Sayaka’s eyes. “What’s wrong?”

 

“Mr. Hasek is dead. It’s all my fault.”

 

“Dom wouldn’t want you crying over him like that.” Crawford uses another grief seed. “That’s it, kid, last one. You’re about to feel as good as you’re going to feel.”

 

Sayaka didn’t like the sound of that, the intense pain was still everywhere on her. It was overwhelming, all encompassing. All she could think about was the pain. She blacked out again.

 

 

 

Madoka sits in the corner of the shelter, the waiting is killing her. She whispers, “Sayaka. Please be okay.” She sees a large figure walk through the door. It speaks with an unnaturally deep voice. “Madoka Kaname?” She looks up. Her mother steps in front of her. “Just what do you want with my daughter?”

 

“Oh, hey, Mrs. Kaname. Can I talk to your daughter for a while?” Patrick Kane, speaking in his normal speaking voice, rubs the back of his head. “It’s kind of important.” Junko Kaname stands between her daughter and the beat up hockey star for a while. “What happened to you?”

 

“Oh, just some stuff. It’s why I gotta talk to Madoka.”

 

Junko stands resolute. “Anything you can say to my daughter, you can say to me.”

 

“No. I can’t.” Kane looks away.

 

“Oh my God. My baby’s growing up.”

 

“I’m sorry, what?”

 

Junko comes in close, “If you make my baby cry, I’ll cut your dick into sashimi. You feel me?”

 

“I don’t want to nail your daughter, Mrs. Kaname.” Kane looks at Madoka then back at Junko. “Yeah, not a chance.”

 

“Bullshit. My baby girl has been acting like she’s head over heels. If not you, then who? The serious looking boy? The dark, mysterious French-Canadian one? The short, hyperactive one?”

 

“Uh, Mrs. Kaname, this is really a conversation you should be having with your daughter. Like, seriously, I’m not qualified to have this conversation, brah.” Kane backs away slowly. “When you’re done with her, tell her to meet me over by the stairs.”

 

Junko looked at her daughter. “Madoka, who is it?”

 

“Sayaka, Mama.” Madoka had no heart to lie to her mother. She closed her eyes, expecting to be screamed at. Expecting something. Expecting some kind of scolding.

 

“I could always see you two together. I bet you make a really cute couple.”

 

 

 

Kane stands at the stairwell, arms crossed over his chest. He’s trying to cool down. “I just got a call from Crow, kid. Come quick.” He takes Madoka’s hand and runs her down the stairs towards the basement, where the shorthanded medical staff are busy going to work on various people caught in the storm. A doctor is shouting commands. “She needs a transfer. Get her to the hospital.” Madoka sees a group wheeling someone out from behind a curtain, toward the better staffed hospital. “Doctor, who was that?” The pink haired girl is tugging at the doctor’s scrub top. “Huh? Oh, it was a girl, about your age. Some of the worst injuries I ever seen.” Madoka’s heart sinks. “C’mon, kid, let’s go.” Kane takes Madoka’s hand once again, walking her to the hospital.

 

 

 

Madoka walks through the door, up to the reception area. “Um… Excuse me.” A middle aged woman in scrubs looks up from her novel, the day had finally calmed down a little. There was at least a slight lull. “Which room is… is…” Madoka’s heart sinks, she starts crying.

 

“You okay, kid? Who do you need to find?” The woman wears a concerned expression on her face. She didn’t like seeing girls as cute as this one cry.

 

Jonathan Toews walks through the area, bandaged up. He was lucky to get away with a few lacerations and a broken arm. He walks up to the receptionist. “This girl is likely looking for a Sayaka Miki.”

 

“ICU.”

 

Madoka walks down the hall, takes a right, walks down that hall and happens upon the ICU. She hears the set of various injuries, each one feels like a punch to the gut. Grade 3b concussion. Broken left radius. Broken right humerus. Second and third degree burns along the back. Broken ribs 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, left side. Broken clavicle. Punctured left lung. Lacerated spleen. Broken right femur. Broken left and right tibia and fibula. Dislocated left hip. Severe shock. Madoka bursts in, prepared to see the worst. Sayaka is lying in a bed, tubes shoved in all over her body. “How’d this kid get in here?” A doctor attempts to remove her.

 

“Please. That’s my girlfriend.”

 

The doctors relent. Madoka walks up to the bed and strokes Sayaka’s hair. The girl looks up, the tube in her mouth makes it so she can’t speak, but she smiles. She reaches up with her shattered right hand, caressing Madoka’s cheek. It’s cold, clammy. It falls back down onto the bed. Sayaka’s eyes close.

 

“I’ll tell ya, your girlfriend’s one tough bitch. I carried her all the way to that shelter. She didn’t even complain once.” Corey Crawford claps Madoka on the shoulder.

 

 

 

Andrew Shaw is running as fast as his legs can carry him, Dominik Hasek’s second satchel slung over his shoulder. He sprints. He just hopes that he’s not too late. He can taste his own blood. The world around him goes gray. “Come on, Mr. Shaw.” Homura takes his hand, stops time and leads him into the ICU. Shaw places the satchel in Crawford’s hand. Crawford slips out of the ICU with both Shaw and Homura. “You know, it’s a good thing Dom has even more of these.”

 

Crawford begins going to work, purifying the gem over and over, watching it darken each time. “I don’t know, something must really want her dead.” Crawford continues his diligence.

 

The assembled medical staff look on. “Take this out of her mouth. Please. If she’s going to die I want to talk to her one last time.” One doctor does so, seeing that this girl is hopeless. She’ll be dead in minutes. ‘Sayaka. You came back.”

 

Sayaka coughs up bloody phlegm. “Told you I would.”

 

Madoka bends down, her face inches away from Sayaka’s. “I love you.”

 

“I love you, too.” They kiss. Deeply. Passionitely. Madoka could not care less that Sayaka’s blood and phlegm are entering her mouth. It’s Sayaka’s and therefore beautiful. On second thought, she cared a little. That was kinda gross. Sayaka feels the pain going away in various places on her body. Her legs don’t hurt anymore. She doesn’t feel cold anymore. She must be dying. She could think of worse ways to go. She was in Madoka’s arms. She was happy. Madoka pulls away. “Madoka, please be happy. No matter who it’s with.” Her back doesn’t hurt anymore. Her body is free from pain. This must be what it’s like to die. She thought it would be scary, painful. It wasn’t. “I love you so much, Madoka. I wanted to make you my wife someday. To hell with what anyone else thinks.” Madoka cries. She hugs Sayaka tightly, refusing to let go. Her slender arms are embedded in Sayaka’s back, her mouth finding its way to Sayaka’s neck. Both of these things should have hurt a whole lot. They didn’t. What was going on? Was she already dead? Was this heaven? Time to make a bold move. Sayaka starts ripping the various tubes out of her body, eventually throwing Madoka down on to the bed. “My turn, Madoka.” The doctors stand in stunned silence. The girl was alive and well.

 

 

 

Toews and Kane walk together, each man with an arm around his friend’s shoulders. “Hey, let’s go check on Hoss.” They enter the room, Marian Hossa is lying down, calmly watching some bizarre game show. He stands up. “I’ll be out for the first round series if I do this, but you could probably use some healing magic right about now.” He puts his hands on each of Toews and Kane’s chests, they both feel completely rejuvenated. Hossa coughs. He returns to bed, changing the channel. Kane and Toews walk on, still hanging off of one another. They open the door to Mami’s room. They, after a second or two of stunned silence, close the door. “I didn’t see anything Kaner. You?”

 

“Nope. Especially not some straight up Fifty Shades of Grey shit.”

 

“Not a chance, no sir. Didn’t think Kyoko would be so submissive, either.”

 

“Shut up, Tazer.”

 

Toews knocks on the door. “Hope yer decent, we’re coming in.” Toews opens the door, plays coy and looks at the girls, both under the sheets, extremely red faces. Both with wild hair. “They didn’t get ya yer own rooms? That’s gotta suck.”

 

 

 

The Blackhawks return to Chicago, their first round date with the St. Louis Blues ahead. Playing chokers like the Blues? Please, these guys just fought horrors from beyond space and time. The Blues are nothing.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, fuck, turns out the Blues are tougher than Walpurgisnacht.


	15. Epilogue: Here Come the Hawks, the Mighty Blackhawks

Andrew Shaw feels nothing as he’s awarded the Conn Smythe trophy. He looks up in the stands at the Verizon Center in Washington and sees the small section carved out for his family. The Shaws of Belleville look happy enough, but someone is conspicuous by their absence. Corey Crawford skates up. “Someone had to keep my turf protected, Shawzy.” Shaw looks down. “Yeah.”

 

The flight back is long, the Blackhawks, once they land, simply want to go home. Many players stay around and live it up with the fans. Andrew Shaw walks through the group, gets in his car and drives home. He walks through the door of his new two bedroom apartment, drops his bags, sighs deeply and flops on the couch. “Mr. Shaw, you’re home!” Homura walks in from the kitchen, wearing a goofy smile on her face. She’s wearing her oversized #65 jersey. 

 

“You know, if you just ask, I’ll buy ya one in a women’s small.”

 

“That won’t be necessary. I can wear this one like a dress.”

 

“Well, I’m on vacation until September. Let’s go have some fun.“ Shaw playfully tousles Homura’s long black hair.

 

“Whatever you say, Mr. Shaw.” Homura’s smile widens. She could get used to this. Sure, it wasn’t a lifetime with Madoka, but Madoka was happy. And Mr. Shaw was really nice. Homura was an only child in so many timelines, but now she had a brother. Sure, romantic love for Madoka had kept her going through these timelines, but she felt that the gap would be filled just fine. She looked at her 8th Grade algebra final, plastered to the fridge. The grade, of course, was an A. The name written in the top left corner? Homura Shaw.

 

“Mr. Shaw?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“I love you, big brother.” Homura hugs Shaw tightly from behind, almost knocking the undersized grinder down the front steps.

 

“Love you too, kid.”

 

 

 

Marian Hossa walks down the street in Mitakihara City, coming upon an apartment. He knocks on the door. A girl with long red hair opens the door. “What’s up, Hoss?”

 

Hossa takes off his hat and overcoat. “Kyoko Sakura, I have big news to share with you—“ He’s interrupted by footsteps. “Kyoko, who was at the door? Oh, Mr. Hossa.” Mami Tomoe walks out, her hair down, wearing a thin robe. She smiles.

 

“You should hear this, too, Mami Tomoe. You see? I’m part of an order of guardians. I can’t be either of yours, I’m Patrick Kane’s, but I did set you up with one who jumped at this opportunity. He has been looking for a charge for years. He will be here shortly and he will take good care of you. He will, of course, be living here. I hope you don’t mind.” Hossa looks at his watch. “Excuse me, I have to go.”

 

 

 

There is a knock at Mami and Kyoko’s door about an hour later. They can’t hear it over the oven, their sloppy make out session and the cheesy romantic movie on Mami’s TV. “Hello?” A man with a faint Swedish accent is on the other side of the door. Mami pushes Kyoko away. “I believe that that is our guest, Kyoko.” She smiles a seductive smile. “You can ravish me later.” She opens the door. A man with short, thinning blond hair and blue eyes stands nervously at the door. The man, wearing a short sleeved blue silk shirt and a pair of jeans invites himself in. “Can we help you?” Kyoko stands up. “You’re Kyoko Sakura?” The man looks at her. “Yeah.” He takes her right hand in both of his, covering it entirely. “My name is Nick.” 

 

“Nick what?”

 

“My full name is Nicklas Lidström. I’ve been assigned as your guardian.”

 

“For how long?”

 

“Until you don’t need me anymore. Which, judging by that ring on your finger, means that we’ll be together for a while.”

 

“Nice to meet ya, Nick.”

 

 

 

Madoka lies on the beach, eyes closed, taking in the various sounds. The towel under her feels soft. The hot sun is blocked out, but it feels even hotter. She opens her eyes, Sayaka is straddling her. “Morning, sleepy head. You’ll get a sunburn if you fall asleep in the sun like that.”

 

“Oh, yeah?” Madoka leans up, pecking Sayaka on the lips. “Is there a brave knight who can save me?”

 

“Leave it to me, my lady.” Sayaka grabs her adjacent towel, pulling it over top of them.

 

“You think they’d get less cheesy after a couple months, Tazer.”

 

“You’d think, Kaner, but you’d be wrong.”

 

The towel comes up, the girls stare, embarrassed. “Oh… Mr. Toews, Mr. Kane…” Madoka readjusts her one piece swimsuit.

 

“You making babies, girls?”

 

Madoka stares wide eyed. “We can… make babies?”

 

Kane grins a wicked grin. “Absolutely, brah. If you kiss someone you love, a life will be born between you. Judging by her look, Sayaka’s already pregnant.” He turns around, hiding his ever reddening face, desperately trying to stifle a laugh. He elbows Toews in the ribs and whispers. “Play along, Tazer.”

 

“Yes. You’re glowing, Miss Miki.”

 

“I… I’m gonna be a mom.” Sayaka puts her hand over her belly.

 

“Yeah. Mazel Tov. Uh, we gotta go. Meet ya later?” Kane waves as he walks away.

 

“Should we go back and tell them, Kaner?”

 

“They’ll figure it out.”

 

 

 

Shaw and Homura walk on the beach, both smiling wide. “So, this is your hometown, eh, Homura? Wanna show me around later?”

 

“We’re at the best part of town, Mr. Shaw.”

 

Shaw studies Homura, noticing something when he looks at her white bikini top. “Hey, kid, what’s with the zipper scar?”

 

“I had heart surgery about nine months ago. If I weren’t a magical girl, I would have to be very careful. I would have to take medication every day.” Homura covers her chest. “I know, it’s ugly.”

 

“No way, kid, it’s just a scar. We’ve all got ‘em.” He studies Homura’s expression. She seems deflated. He quickly changes the subject. “Man, you gotta be gettin’ asked out every day, eh?”

 

“Why do you say that?”

 

“Probably some bias on account of me being your adoptive guardian, but you really are a beautiful girl, Homura.“

 

She blushes. “Thank you, Mr. Shaw.”

 

“Mr. Shaw!” Shaw turns around, seeing Madoka and Sayaka excitedly running up to himself and Homura. “Yo! What’s up?”

 

“Mr. Shaw, Homura, we’re having a baby! Sayaka’s pregnant!” Madoka smiles

 

Shaw stumbles backwards. “Uh, okay then, who’s the father?”

 

“I am.” Madoka’s smile widens. She seems proud. Shaw almost hates telling her what’s up.

 

“Uh, Madoka. You can’t be the father.”

 

“Mr. Kane said I was. He said that if you kiss somebody you love, a new life would be born between you.” Madoka seems hurt.

 

“Uh, Kaner was probably messing with you.”

 

 

 

Shaw had to share a room with Homura on this road trip. He took the floor, the cheap hotel room only had one bed. He woke up to some sounds. He rose from the floor, he found himself looking at Homura’s sleeping face. She looked at peace. Andrew Shaw couldn’t keep from shedding a tear. “You’ve been through a lot, kid. Now you’re gonna have a normal life. You’re gonna go to high school, get a boyfriend, or girlfriend, doesn’t matter to me none, probably go to college, get a career, probably something smart. You’re a pretty smart kid, after all. You’re gonna grow up, probably have some kids. You’ll grow old, see some grandkids. But that’s all after this vacation, right? You don’t gotta grow up so fast anymore.” Homura stirs, opening her eyes. “Is it morning?” Shaw shakes his head. “Just admiring ya, kid. You’ve got a lot of guts to come this far.” He puts his hand on her arm, “And a lot of heart.” Homura sits up. “I had a good dream this time, Mr. Shaw. I don’t remember it, but I remember being happy.”

 

“That’s good to hear, kid. Might wanna get back to that dream, right?”

 

“Yeah.” Homura lays back down and closes her eyes. Shaw pulls the sheet and comforter back over her, careful to tuck her in.

 

“Sleep tight, kid. You’ve earned it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am very, very, very, very sorry.


End file.
